When Adventure Finds You Go Plus Ultra!
by Oasis42
Summary: Its the beginning of summer break and our class 1-A celebrated their final night together in style! That is, until everything goes sideways. Now they must work together to find their way home because no one is coming to save them this time. Bakudeku romance and smut in later chapters. Enjoy! Disclaimer: Cover image is not mine!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

The end of their first year had finally arrived. It was a year of growth for most, some taking longer strides then others. All the students, especially those of class 1-A, spent the better part of the past year overcoming impossible odds, hurtles which would unnerve even some of the more seasoned Pro heroes Yet the students not only persevered but rose to meet each challenge head-on.

That is why in the middle of the night most of class 1-A now found themselves congregated together within the common area of their shared dormitory, deep within the throes of competition. The name of the game was Super Smash Bros Ultimate and yes, they took it VERY seriously. Nestled closely together along the cushy, beige upholstery of the oversized sofa sat Ochako, Izuku, Tsu, and Jiro. Ashido, Kaminari, and Kirishima were squished together on the matching love seat adjacent to them.

Most of the students already left campus to go home for the summer. Those that remained would need to have their belongings packed and heartfelt goodbyes taken care of so the dormitory would be empty and ready for the cleaning crew the following evening. It was Kirishima's idea for everyone to come together for their final night. He wanted everyone to partake in some friendly competition and perhaps a movie or two afterwards.

Each player selected his or her preferred fighter, the students had the entire list unlocked at this point, so the choices were boundless. They were relaxed as they ruthlessly attempted to murder each other on screen, each overly confident within their own skills and abilities. Izuku was in the middle of raining down arrows upon Denki's Pikachu when Ashido's pink bubblegum ball, aka Kirby, comes barreling forward. He effortlessly sucks Izuku's Link into his mouth and transforms.

"Hahahaha! I got you now tiny arrow man!" Ashido cackled maniacally as her Kirby shot arrows at the wounded Link. Izuku did his best to counter the empowered bubblegum ball but was quickly taken out by one of Kirby's flashy aerial moves. Izuku worried his bottom lip with his teeth while attempting to save the situation, pressing the jump button in quick succession as he tried to get Link back on solid ground. He pouted as he watched his fighter fall to his doom, ending the game for him.

"Heh, guess I'm out. I'll have to practice more so I can beat you next time Ashido!" Izuku smiled sheepishly as he carded his scarred hand through thick, green locks.

"Its okay. Not everyone can withstand the adorable might of Kirby after all." She continued to smash buttons quickly, fending off the few remaining characters.

Meanwhile, Iida stood stiffly to the side, watching the scene unfold in front of him. He was exhausted from a long year of watching over his fellow classmates. He managed okay with the one except of when his brother was seriously injured, and he wrongfully took it upon himself to seek his own version of justice. He nodded his head resolutely, determined to overcome his petty flaws for next year.

_Yes! I will be nothing but the most prestigious class representative next year. I will be an exemplary role model! I will keep our two problem children out of trouble! I will train hard and become stronger so I can one day fill my brother's shoes! I will-_

"Oi, Four Eyes! I think the shitty nerd is rubbing off on you. You're fucking mumbling. Keep that shit to yourself" Katsuki growled as he stormed past the distracted hero, grabbing the controller from Round Face before taking a seat on the floor.

Hands karate chopped furiously through the air; a pink blush spread over the engine hero's face as he frantically tried to offset his embarrassment. "I was not mumbling. Your class rep does not mumble! It's getting late and I cannot condone future heroes depriving themselves of much needed sleep. Off to bed everyone!" More karate chops followed in the direction of the hallway.

"Tch, first I need to destroy these extras and Deku." Katsuki was quickly scrolling through the available fighters before noticing his preferred option was taken. "I can win with any one of these characters." He mumble/yelled, while smashing the buttons harder than necessary.

"Um Bakugo? Could you maybe not break my switch controller? I don't think I can afford to-"

"Shut up Round Face. I'm not gonna break it." Uraraka flinched at Katsuki's sharp words as she nervously twiddled her fingers together. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again.

"It's okay Uraraka. Bakubro would buy you a new one if he broke yours because that's the manly thing to do. Isn't that right?" Kirishima smiled encouragingly at the flustered girl, pearly shark teeth gleaming unsettlingly as he did. He was likely the only student of the group who could resolve issues with Bakugo without ending up on the receiving end of a high-powered blast.

"Tch, whatever. Let's get this going. Deku, you better do your best, or I'll fucking kill you. No holding back, got it?"

"I'll try my best, Kacchan." Izuku smiled indulgently at his rival as he prepared himself.

"You know we're here too, right?" Jiro looked over to the class hothead, eyebrow quirked questioningly. They were all used to the bubble that surrounded Bakugo and Izuku when a challenge was declared. It was like they were lost in their own little world, everything else paled in comparison.

"Doesn't fucking matter if you extras are playing or not. I'll wreck all of you!"

"I'm thinking these so called 'extras' are going to kick your ass, dude!" Sero hollered while focusing on the screen. He chose to play as Snake this time. It was something different from his usual.

Meanwhile, Iida was still stiffly motioning for everyone to make their way to their dorms. As class rep it was his job to encourage positive behavior, he was willing to do this all night if need be. Suddenly, mob of white and red hair strolled past him, coming from the dorms.

"I don't think they're going to listen to you. Give it a rest, you're just stressing yourself out." Todoroki spoke in his usual, uninterested and monotone voice. He did care about his classmates; it was just exhausting to physically display that warmth in any manner.

A chorus of cackles and jeers sounded from their living space, signaling the game had begun. Iida, finally ceasing his karate chops, watched the ongoing battle between his classmates as Shoto made his way to stand just behind the large couch, resting his hands lightly on the microfiber upholstery. It didn't take long for the round to near its end, with Bakugo successfully delivering a finishing blow to Izuku's Link and winning the game.

"Deku, you shitty nerd. I told you not to hold back. I demand a rematch!"

"But I didn't hold back. You won fair and square."

"Bullshit" Katsuki was now up on his feet, facing the nerd while threatening the younger hero with Ochaco's controller.

"I didn't realize someone could be a sore winner before meeting you, Katsuki. Settle down." Momo spoke as she approached the group with a large glass bowl of popcorn in hand.

"Shut it, ponytail. C'mon Deku, we're going again!"

"Okay Kacchan!" Izuku welcomed a second opportunity to claim victory over his prideful friend.

Suddenly, a short stack popped up out of the blue, his eyes reflecting the sin that was no doubt dancing within his tiny skull. "Wait a second. I want a turn. Midoriya, why don't you have a seat on the floor and give someone else a turn on the couch next to the hot babes. I want to feel their soft skin pressed up against me. Don't be greedy, friends share with friends!" Mineta had a faraway look on his face and was practically drooling.

Only now realizing his awkward proximity to Ochaco and Tsu, Izuku blushed madly while stuttering incoherently as he nervously glanced between the two. Feeling as though he may combust at any moment, he popped up from the sunken cushion and sat next to Bakugo on the floor, still mumbling under his breath.

Before Mineta could make his way to the prized opening on the couch, Momo pushed her way through and snatched it just in time. "I don't think so, Mineta. Go sit somewhere else you little pervert."

Tsu reached over to the bowl in Momo's lap, grabbing a handful of the buttery, popped kernels. "Saved by Momo. Ribbit." The girls giggled with relief while a dejected Mineta sat with a huff next to Izuku while muttering something about skin to skin contact.

"Enough stalling, it's time for me to murder you all!" Patience was never Katsuki's strong suit and he had even less of it when competition was involved. He glared at his fellow classmates before zeroing in on Todoroki who had just joined them. "Oi, half-n-half bastard. Get your ass over here and tap in. I'll wipe the floor with you too."

"I'd rather not."

"No isn't an option you fucking candy cane. Get over-" Suddenly the beginning battle music played, signaling someone had started the match. "Getting a head start won't save you" he grumbled while focusing his attention back to the screen.

Just as things were escalating on screen, the air around them went stale at the same time the electricity shut off. Darkness blanketed over the students; the room was silent save for the few surprised gasps and nervous chatter amongst the teens.

Iida was the first to speak up. "Don't worry everyone, I'm sure the breaker just tripped or something. I'll go check it out." He turned to head to the breaker box but stopped short. "Its really dark, I can barely see where I'm going."

"Here Iida, I'll make you a flashlight." Iida's entire face heated to the point he was surprised his glasses didn't steam up and he averted his gaze as Momo unbuttoned her pink flannel pajama shirt to pull her creation from her chest. She handed the tool over to the class rep, mildly amused by his embarrassment.

"Ahem, uh thank you Momo. I'll just go now…" He swung his arms stiffly through the air as he motioned in the direction of the circuit breaker.

The rest of the students watched his retreating form with Ashido unable to hold back a snicker at his stiff and robotic movements, before turning back to each other. It was quiet again as they waited in the darkened room, wondering what might have caused the lights to go out suddenly.

"Maybe Iida needs some help finding the box" Deku suggested as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. It's been a few minutes and they all thought the lights would be back on by now.

"I'm sure he's fine. Breakers aren't usually labeled well so he's probably just struggling to find the correct one." Todoroki shrugged as he spoke, not a spec of concern in his voice.

Light slowly poured back into the common area, signaling Iida's return. The fact that the only illumination in the building was coming from Iida's little flashlight did not go unnoticed by the rest of the students and they all spoke at once, questioning what was happening.

"Weren't you able to find the box?"

"Izuku, I told you he probably just couldn't find the right breaker. That's the problem, right Iida?"

"Why is it still dark?"

"What's going on? I hate the dark, its-"

At this point Iida waved his hands in front of himself, hoping his classmates would quiet down so he could speak. They continued their mindless chatter and questions anyway, slowly increasing in volume even. The engine hero sighed as he centered his blue, silken nightcap that was sliding too far to the right. "Will you all please stop talking so I can get a word in." He had to shout over them, which was not appropriate behavior for a class rep, but desperate times called for desperate measures!

Thankfully, everyone stopped talking and waited for him expectantly. "It appears we have an actual problem. None of the breakers have switched off so something else is causing our electric issue. I attempted to use my cell phone to notify school officials, but I don't have any signal." Upon hearing this the rest of the class grabbed their cell phones to check for a signal. A chorus of disapproving grumbles filled the air as they realized they were cut off from the rest of the world. Some took the news harder than others, feeling as though their very lifelines had been severed.

Ashido was the first to speak. "Oh my god! How am I going to keep up on all the latest gossip? And my reality shows?! This can't be happening. You!" She pointed a trembling, pink digit in Kaminari's direction. "You need to fix this! Give the wires a surge or something!"

"You hear that Pikachu? You're finally good for something other than just charging phones." A cocky smile spread over Katsuki's face as he taunted his classmate.

Kaminari huffed indignantly. Kirishima walked over to him and gently pat him on the back, his usual smile fixed over his features. "Bro, you and I both know you are more then a phone charger. Go show them what you're made of!"

A sigh followed an exaggerated eyeroll as Kaminari stalked over to the nearest outlet. He looked over to Momo, about to ask for a screwdriver so he could remove the outlet cover but she was one step ahead of him, hand reaching out with the little yellow handled tool. He nodded his head in thanks as he took it and went to remove the white plastic cover, effectively exposing the load and ground wires.

With a little spark emitting from his fingertips he gently touched the wires, surging them with a powerful shock. The lights around them began to flicker, and a distant click could be heard as the air conditioning units resumed cooling the building. Kaminari released the wires to do a little victory fist pump in the air. "Yeah! What would you guys do without m-" before he could finish his prideful declaration the lights turned off, leaving the students in darkness once again.

"You were saying?" Sero asked with a chuckle.

"Aw, what the hell?" Why'd they turn off again?" The electric hero stared at the exposed outlet, confused.

"Like I said, phone charger."

"Kacchan, you're not being very helpful right now."

"Shut up nerd!"

Momo cleared her throat. "If I may," she began. "I think the problem is more urgent then just resurging the power. I think you'll have to maintain contact with the wires if you want to keep the lights on until the actual problem is addressed."

Kaminari's eyes widened in disbelief. "I don't wanna do that! Besides, I'll only be able to keep it going for a half an hour tops."

"I believe in you. You can do it Denki!" Tsu patted his back encouragingly. She could tell he was becoming distressed from the demands of their classmates.

Another sigh, and Kaminari once again touched the wires to return electricity to the building. He didn't want to be stuck to the outlet, but he knew it was the right thing to do until they could get their bearings. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed, getting comfortable since he was likely in it for the long haul. He smoothed his free hand over the soft cotton of his black pajama pants as he watched his fellow classmates decide what to do next.

"D-d-do you think this is… a v-villain attack?" Mineta was visible shaking, the uncertainty of their situation causing him to stutter.

"We have no reason to believe that. Let's not go right to Zebras." Iida tried to sound soothing, but it was obvious he was also on edge.

"Zebras?" Tsu asked, confused.

"I think he's saying if we hear hooves we should expect horses or in this case a normal cause instead of Zebras which in our case would be the villains." Momo supplied as she made extra flashlights for everyone.

"Exactly! Now then, we should make good use of the electricity while we have it. Obviously, we still won't be able to use our phones since that issue is not connected to the electricity. Now would be a good time to plug your phone in if it's almost dead though-" He ignored the gleeful chuckle he heard coming from Sero, "-Maybe we should head outside to see if there are any downed power lines. I am going to change first and then check it out."

The students checked the current charge on their phones, some moving to place their devices in the universal docking stations which were scattered throughout the common area. Everyone then made their way back to the dorms so they could quickly change into their day clothes before heading out to investigate.

Ten minutes later everyone except for Mineta, who chose to stay behind and keep Denki company, was crowded around the front door. With Iida taking the lead, they pushed the double doors open and stepped outside, expecting to be met with the familiarity of the school grounds. Quiet gasps sounded through the warm, night air as the class of 1-A came face to face with a terrifying reality. Eyes darted every which way, taking in the foreign scenery before blinking and rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

The entire landscape was canvased in darkness with only the eerie red glow cast from a massive blood red moon offering any semblance of visibility. Somehow, they were in the middle of a forest- a jungle really- with a wall of huge, crooked trees, thick vines, and unknown flora surrounding them. Dark green moss dusted over patches of the ground just beyond their stairway and was accompanied by fallen leaves, sticks, and giant roots from the trees. The forest itself felt alive with myriads of sounds; the low hum of insects, the leaves rustling together as the breeze blew through, and the faraway growls and hisses from God only knows what kind of animals. The air smelled earthy and was heavy with moisture.

An earsplitting shriek reverberated above them. Eleven heads snapped back reflexively, mouths gaping open as their eyes landed on an impossibly huge creature flying through the crimson sky. The animal's charcoal grey wingspan easily had to have reached over a hundred feet. Its body was round like a boulder and littered in grey feathers. Two scaly, thin legs were tucked under its mass as it flew gracefully overhead. The bird like monster opened its beak to release yet another painfully loud screech as it continued along the linear path forward.

It appeared that without even trying, they have gotten themselves into trouble yet again, or rather trouble seemed to have found them.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

Early rays of dawn glistened against an ocean blue sky. Aerial balls of feathers and beaks chirped their morning ballads in what could only be described as a cacophony of sound as they fluttered about in the sky and perched on outstretched branches. A steady, warm breeze brought with it the smell of freshly mown grass and the floral fragrance of spring flowers. It was nothing if not a beautiful morning, invigorating to those fortunate enough to be immersed in the great outdoors. Unless of course, that person happened to be Shouto Aizawa.

Blinking rapidly against the too bright light, Shouto glared up at the feathery noise makers who were currently giving him a goddamn headache. He brought his one morning essential, coffee, to his lips and took a generous swig as he made his way to the dormitory of class 1-A. His only remaining duty as the first year's teacher was to ensure the group of troublemakers were cleared out of the dorm by noon. He would certainly miss the students; he's grown fond of each and every one of them over the past year. They didn't need to know that though, and he would take that piece of information with him to his grave.

Another swig as he turned onto the path leading to the dorms but before he could swallow the bitter elixir he stopped in his tracks, staring wide eyed at the unexpected view before him.

_The whole building…. _

Without a second thought, Shouto threw his head back and delivered a substantial dose of his trustee eye drops to each eye. He blinked rapidly while giving the saline drops a minute to properly wet his eyes.

_Okay, let's try this again._

….

His eyes widened in disbelief. He slowly moved his head from side to side, verifying he was in fact in the correct location before zeroing in on the empty space where his student's building was supposed to be. The only evidence suggesting there was ever anything there was the cut off foundation and broken water pipes poking out of the ground. It was a clean, precise cut, not a jagged edge in sight.

Dumbfounded by this completely unexpected development, the instructor of 1-A remained rooted to the spot, annoyance blooming in his gut. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate as he pulled his cellphone from his pants pocket.

_These kids are going to be the death of me. _

_What age is retirement again?_

XXX

Apprehensive eyes gawked at the winged creature soaring through the sky, its large form slowly dwindling in size as it continued to distance itself from them. Once the beast was out of sight, a collective exhale released through the air as the students let out the breaths they didn't realize they were holding. Izuku placed a shaking hand against his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat beneath the black cotton of his t-shirt.

"This… this doesn't make any sense" he whispered mainly to himself before going into a full blown mumblelogue about the impossibility of their situation. His emerald green eyes darted around their surroundings frantically, taking it all in while trying to make sense of what was happening.

"I mean, I know we're in trouble here, but that bird thing was so cool!" Mina bounced up and down as she spoke, probably the least frazzled of the group.

"What was that thing? What if it comes back?" Ochaco wrapped her bare arms around herself in a tight hug, feeling cold despite the damp heat that enveloped them.

"If that thing comes back then obviously I'll blast it back to the stone age." Though trying to come off as cocky, Katsuki's wide eyes and pale complexion betrayed the unease he felt. He glanced in the nerd's direction, frowning at the spew of hushed words pouring from the teen's mouth. A part of him wanted to go comfort Deku, who appeared quite shaken. Years ago, when they were just brats who could barely tie their own shoes, they'd run off together to go on epic adventures every day. Those adventures would often result in scrapped knees, getting lost in the woods, or some other minor 'tragedy' that quickly reduced Izuku into a fitful mess.

Katsuki always felt pulled to Izuku during those times. He, as if driven by instinct, felt a commanding need to cheer him up so they could once again smile and laugh together.After his quirk manifested, he distanced himself from his friend. He chose to bully Deku to quell that godforsaken urge to comfort him.

Frustrated, he raked his fingers through his blond strands which were already damp from the considerable humidity sticking to him. He was about to spew profanities at the useless nerd, once again opting to degrade him instead of the less comfortable alternative when a soft rustle of leaves followed by clumsy footfalls caught his attention. His classmates must have also noticed because their gazes were all locked in the direction it was coming from, their bodies enduring the internal war of their adrenaline induced fight or flight instincts.

Both Katsuki and Iida took a step forward, placing themselves on the front line. Izuku and Kirishima soon joined them, the four close range powerhouses readying for whatever was coming their way. Sweat coated Katsuki's heated flesh, an ideal reaction to the danger at hand given he would need it to fuel his quirk. He glanced to his side to see Kirishima's soft skin harden in an instant and the Nerd's focused face come alive with his quirk's green current. Chest heaving and fists clenched, the hotheaded hero listened intently to the rustling of leaves as it grew slightly louder, the sound of footfalls coming steadily closer.

"It's a lot smaller than that thing in the sky" whispered Jiro as she used her quirk to track their incoming visitor.

"Doesn't make it less of a threat" Momo whispered back.

Everyone stilled when the rustling stopped just in front of them. No one dared move a muscle and it was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The air was thick with the collective, anxiety driven anticipation emanating from the students and they held their breaths as whatever it was finally stepped into their clearing.

A frail hand reached out from the cover of the jungle, gripping onto the rough, moss covered trunk of a tree for support. A shoe covered foot poked out next from behind the thick tree and was soon followed by a tall, lanky body stumbling forward into view. He squinted his eyes, slightly blinded by the flashlights nervously pointed at him.

"Its… a man." The relief was evident in Ochaco's voice and they all relaxed considerably upon realizing it was not another monster.

As Katsuki released some of his tension, he noticed Deku had at some point taken another step forward, partially shielding him from what they assumed was danger. Anger rolled off him in waves and he reached out to shove the stupid nerd but stopped when Iida's voice drew his attention back to the matter at hand.

"Hello. I am Tenya Iida, student of UA high school and class representative of class 1-A. Who are you?" He paused as he took in the heavily disheveled appearance of their visitor. There were scratches and deep purple bruises marring his exposed skin and he was covered in a layer of dirt and grime. He wore a navy blue button-down shirt, and khaki slacks. The right sleeve of his shirt had been torn off and the smooth fabric of his slacks was ripped and stained. His chin length white hair was matted and greasy with twigs and dirt entwined within the fine, thin strands. It probably had not been washed in several days and the crimson glow cast off from the moon gave it an almost pink hue. "Are you in some kind of trouble sir?"

"Oh my god. Who are you people? How- how did you get here? I didn't think…" he shook his head like a crazed lunatic before taking a moment to settle himself. "I-I'm sorry. My name's Shogi, like the chess game. Anyway, I just wasn't expecting to find anyone else here. When I saw the Kemurōflying overhead, I made a run for it, searching for a safe place to hide."

Upon hearing Shogi refer to the bird beast by an actual name, Izuku couldn't help but wonder what else the stranger might know about their circumstances. "Kemurō" He tested the foreign word on his tongue looking like it was the most intriguing bit of information he received all day. "How do you know what it's called?"

"Heh, it's not official or anything. I just call it that so I have something to address it by in my journal." Shogi pulled a small journal out of his pants pocket and waved it in front of them.

"Oh! So, you're keeping a log of-"

"Enough of the chit chat already! You've clearly been here for a while so why don't you tell us where the fuck we are?!" Little explosions were popping within Katsuki's closed palms. They didn't have time for Deku to get excited over the man's journal. There were more important questions to address first.

Shogi eyed the fiery pops emitting from the teen's hands warily, taking an unsure step back to put much needed space between them. "I uh, don't really know to be honest. I was working in my lab when-"

"You have a lab?! Does that mean you're a scientist? What kind of research do you do?"

"Deku!" Katsuki swung his fiery glare toward the nerd, issuing an unspoken threat to his rival.

"No Kacchan. Maybe his research has something to do with this place. We should ask him about that first."

Katsuki crossed his arms in front of his chest, his hands clenching into fists. If he needed to beat the stupid nerd into submission, then that's what he would do. "I'm asking the fucking questions. Shut. The. Hell. Up."

Before things could escalate any further, Kirishima stepped between the two with his back to Midoriya. "Okay you two, we need to work together not against each other. You both have good questions so why don't we just quiet down and let our new bro here answer them."

"Tch."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Izuku at least had the decency to appear embarrassed of his behavior while Bakugou continued to glower silently.

All eyes turned back to Shogi, watching him expectantly. "Oh um, is it my turn now? Ha, okay so to answer your first question, I'm researching a special device used for transportation." He pushed his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose as he continued. "I was attempting to modify it to extend its range and abilities, but something must have gone wrong. It activated on its own and brought me here. I know its somewhere in the forest and I've been trying to find it for at least a week now, but the forest is so dense and the creatures here are feral and dangerous. I'm afraid I haven't gotten very far."

"And do you know where here is exactly or how we got here?" Shoto asked.

"I do not." Shogi gave a disappointed shrug.

"Fucking useless" Katsuki spat, already dismissing him as just another extra.

"Not useless" Momo corrected. "He has an entire week on us and even kept a journal documenting the local wildlife he encountered. I think he has much to offer."

"I agree" chirped Deku, flashing a bright smile to the scientist. "Besides, as future heroes we are going to come up against all different kinds of scenarios and situations. Searching for his device while protecting him will be a good way for us to put our skills to the test."

"Its not like we have any other options" Mina added while winking at the sexy scientist guy causing a shy blush to spread over his sunken cheeks.

"Excuse my rude behavior but uh, do you guys happen to have any food? I've been pressing my luck and eating pretty much anything that didn't outright look like it would kill me. Except for the one plant that gave me horrible stomach cramps and hallucinations its been going okay, but it would be really nice to eat real food for a change. That is, if it's not too much to ask?"

"You needn't worry, Sir. We are heroes and would be remiss if we were to deny you rations when we have a kitchen full of food. You don't seem like you are getting around well. Would you like some assistance as we head back?" Iida reached a hand out to Shogi as he spoke, offering his aid. The scientist accepted his offer, wrapping his arm behind Iida's neck so the engine hero could help him offset some of his weight.

The students of class 1-A turned to head back to the dormitories, each footfall sinking into soft earth as they trudged back to safety. Their ever-observant eyes carefully surveyed their surroundings as they made the short trip back, more then just a little creeped out by the red hue cast over every inch of the forest. Once in a while foliage would rustle slightly as something unseen passed by, sending a few of the students into a near heart attack every time it occurred. What started out as a fun celebration had ended abruptly, casting the students into unknown territory. For now, they would eat and replenish their strength because in the morning they had serious work to do.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

It only took an hour for the teachers of UA High to congregate together with the school's principal in the brightly lit conference room. No one was thrilled to have their summer plans cut short before they even began. Most of the teachers sat around the long, wooden table feeling both overly tired and unenthusiastic. Summer wasn't just a break for the students after all. It was supposed to be a time for the overworked teachers to recharge as well. Of the seven adults in the room, All Might was the only one truly on edge as his concern for Young Midoriya's safety overrode his conscience.

"Alright everyone" Principal Nezu began cheerfully. "We all know why we are here, so let's begin." He glanced over to Shouto, nodding his furry, white head in the man's direction. "Do we know which students were still in the building when it vanished?"

Aizawa sighed, breathing heavily through his mouth as he massaged the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. More than anything he just wanted to return to his sleeping bag and take an overdue nap. "There were thirteen students in the building. Ashido, Asui, Bakugou, Iida, Jiro, Kaminari, Kirishima, Midoriya, Mineta, Sero, Todoroki, Uraraka and Yaoyorozu. We have confirmed the remaining seven students have returned safely to their homes."

"Did the security footage reveal anything at all?" Midnight asked.

"Nothing" Cementoss replied, confused. Whoever did this, planned it out to a "T."

"Okay and-"

Nezu was cut off by a frail hand pounding on top of the table, a loud thud sounding from the impact. "We must save them!" Toshinori shouted, voice lit with worry.

"I understand you are upset about this. We are all troubled by these events. Not only are our students missing but someone broke through our security measures to do it" Cementoss stated as he looked sympathetically over to the frazzled man.

"We're also going to need to be mindful of the press. After the year we've had, I'm not sure we should let this get out if we can avoid it" Midnight added.

Ectoplasm looked skeptically at Midnight, not necessarily agreeing with her statement. "If we keep this out of the press and they find out anyway we'll get twice the blowback for trying to cover it up."

"You both have valid points. What do you think, Nezu?" Present Mic saw the reasoning on both ends but ultimately it was up to the Principal.

All eyes turned to Nezu, waiting patiently as he took a sip from his cup of earl grey tea.

XXX

One by one the students filed back into the dormitory with Shogi and Iida taking up the rear. Visibility was limited, only the soft glow of a few flashlights offered tunnels of light throughout the room. Everything else was cast in semidarkness, the furniture arrangement reduced to mere silhouettes and anything below eye level transformed into future toe stubbing material. The end tables felt like they were hiding and playing a demented game to see which one could fuck up more students' shins. Ochaco went down with a hollow thud and a groan of annoyance and pain. Jiro quickly followed landing on Ochaco in a mass of limbs further exacerbating Ochaco's suffering. When Ochaco attempted to rise she hit her head on the edge of the same goddamn end table she had collided with in the first place. Tsu rushed to the scene, narrowly missing the culprit end table to help the pair back to their feet. Their classmates watched the scene unfold, both dumbstruck and amused.

Sero snickered as he held his hands in front of his body, two thumbs sticking up while swinging his arms back and forth and groaning "yay." The rest of the students lost it, laughing loudly at his interpretation of Kaminari while Shogi eyed him with serious concern.

"Um… is he okay? Is that boy having a stroke?"

Iida, being the only one not cackling like a hyena at Sero's insensitive display, shook his head with disappointment. "He's fine. Completely lacking any empathy, but fine."

While wiping an errant tear from his eye, Kirishima being the ray of sunshine that he is, attempted to stifle his mirth at Kaminari's expense. "Iida's right guys. Kaminari made a sacrifice for us and its not very manly for any of us to be laughing at him." Despite his words, a huge shit eating grin remained firmly in place.

"Who is calamari?" Shogi asked as they entered the common area. Another uproar of laughter bounced off the walls, everyone was laughing so hard their sides hurt.

"That would be dunce face over there" Katsuki answered as he pointed to where Kaminari was standing by the TV. He was slouched over, his mouth hung open slightly and he had his thumbs up in the same way Sero had done. Mineta was sitting by his feet looking completely stressed out.

Shogi eyed the spikey blond-haired boy skeptically, noticing he was doing the same thing Sero had done but with a much more vacant expression. Mineta stood next to his friend, his expression tossing between relief and irritation.

"Its about time you guys came back!" He jerked a tiny thumb to where Kaminari stood behind him. "He keeps trying to run outside."

With a sigh, Sero walked over to the pair and began the process of taping the spaced-out teen to the wall. "There, that should do it" he said with a pleased smirk while dusting his hands off.

"That… that seems a bit extreme." Mineta was all for a little bondage but not with another dude and not like that!

"Trust me, if you saw what's out there you wouldn't be saying that." His elusive reply was the only thing Shoto had to offer on the subject. The half n half teen shrugged nonchalantly and made his way to the kitchen.

"What do you mean 'if I saw what's out there?' Its just the school grounds ri-" Finally having noticed their guest, Mineta stopped midsentence, frowning at the tall, dirt covered man. "Who is that? Please tell me he's an electrician or something. We can't have another man here, there already aren't enough babes to go around…"

Ignoring the last part of Mineta's question, Momo proceeded to explain what was happening, with the rest of the class filling in any holes as she went. When she finally finished filling the grape pervert in, he stood rooted to the spot and was for the first time in his life, speechless. Needless to say, it didn't last long.

"Oh my Gosh! How are we going to get home? Those monsters are going to eat me. I mean, look at me! You can plainly see what a tasty snack I am! Why is this happening to me?" Tears poured from Mineta's beady little eyes as he waved his arms around dramatically.

"Please, you are the least appetizing thing on this menu" Mina said while once again eyeing Shogi aggressively. Shogi tried to act as if he hadn't noticed her blatant ogling as he picked at an invisible piece of lint from his torn shirt.

Meanwhile, Shoto had thirteen blue, porcelain bowls placed on the breakfast counter and was carefully portioning food into each dish. Seeing this, Tsu walked back to the kitchen to help him by grabbing chopsticks for everyone. "That looks yummy, ribbit. What'd you make?"

"Cold soba" he said simply.

A collective groan sounded around them as his classmates walked back to the kitchen to grab a bowl of the cold noodles. Iida carefully guided Shogi to one of the tables and helped him take a seat before fetching them two bowls.

"Thank you for the food!" Ochaco said as she took a seat between Jiro and Deku.

Katsuki stared at his bowl, unimpressed. "You could have warmed everyone else's up you know" he grumbled as he dumped some of his favorite ghost pepper hot sauce into his noodles. He stirred his food with his chopsticks until everything was tinted red.

"You're right. I could have." Another shrug and Shoto was happily eating his favorite food while enjoying the warm ambience from a candle he had lit.

The next hour was spent in relative silence as the students ate their food all the while trying to forget about their current circumstances. They agreed it would be best to rest for the remainder of the night and worry about preparing for their adventure that upcoming morning. When everyone was finished with their food, they stacked their bowls in the sink. They realized, too late, that they had no easy way to wash them and instead headed upstairs to bed. Before going to his own bed, Iida made up one of the couches for Shogi and handed him a pillow and fleece blanket. He also helped the scientist clean up his injuries and offered him a pair of clean pajamas and a change of clothing for the next day.

While most of his classmates slumbered the rest of the night away, Izuku was still wide awake. He tried to go to sleep but his brain was running a mile a minute as he laid on his back with his hands behind his head. He stared at the All Might poster hanging above his bed, wondering what he would do if he was in their situation.

_He's always so calm and rational. Even when he's really scared, he does what he needs to and with a smile on his face. _

_That's what I need to do too._

Izuku plastered a huge smile on his face, trying to replicate All Might's. He nodded his head resolutely, feeling certain he was on the right track. He rolled over to reach in the drawer beneath his bed, fumbling blindly for a moment before pulling out an untouched, grey journal. He opened it and flipped through the pages, inhaling the new book scent. He grabbed a black sharpie from under his pillow and scribbled "Bestiary" on the front cover. In this foreign place, surrounded by who knows what, Izuku felt it made sense to log the varying wildlife they would come across.

_I'll have to get Shogi to show me his notes so I can update mine. Then we can share our notes and experiences as we go! _

Izuku chewed on the black cap of his marker as he wondered what kind of beasts and other challenges they would come across while searching for Shogi's device. As he was considering what he should pack for the next day, a light knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

_Wonder who that is?_

He rolled out of his bed and slowly made his way to his door, quickening his pace a little when another set of knocks sounded against the wood, but much louder this time. "Just give me a minute!" He said as he grabbed the flashlight Momo made for him and opened the door.

"Oi! Get that damn light out of my eyes Deku!" Katsuki stood at his doorway, hand shielding his eyes from the quivering light pointed at his face.

"Oh, sorry" whispered Izuku as he pointed the light lower. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" Kacchan didn't usually come to his room in the middle of the night like this. It was something that really only started a few months ago. Kacchan had stormed over to his room to scream at him for losing their match earlier that day and lecture him on how he needed to take OFA more seriously. But then somehow, the negative energy dissipated, and they slipped into comfortable conversation. Ever since then, he'd stop over sometimes, and they'd talk or play video games. It almost felt normal. Of course, as soon as the next day came around, he'd regress back to acting like an asshole as usual.

Kacchan sighed, not entirely sure why he was in the nerd's room but resigning himself to it just the same. Although Deku gave him a migraine to end all migraines and pissed him off beyond any thread of rationality, he also knew him better than anyone else. Even though they still bickered and fought like a couple of delinquent children, they also made a lot of progress this past year. He watched as Deku tilted his head, perhaps thinking something similar before the green haired teen turned to sit on top of his All Might comforter. He folded his scarred hands neatly in his lap and waited patiently for him to speak.

"Do you… do you remember the secret forest?"

"Of course, Kacchan. How could I forget? That was one of the best make-believe adventures we had together as kids." Izuku quieted, thinking for a moment. "You know, this is kinda like that isn't' it? We're lost in a forest and its up to us and our friends to find our way out." Izuku's eyes crinkled as he fondly remembered exploring the 'secret forest' with his Kacchan. If he remembered correctly, they were searching for a pretend item that would grant them the most amazing quirks. They were out searching until late that night, worrying their parents considerably.

"Most of those fucking extras aren't going to be a lot of help" Kacchan returned with a cocky smile. "It's not like I need those fuckups anyway. I'll be the one to get us out of this mess."

"I will too Kacchan. And I think they have more to offer then you give them credit for."

For the briefest moment, Izuku could have sworn he saw a glimmer of softness set in Kacchan's usually sour expression. It was fleeting but still there. Just as quickly, he transitioned back to his usual pissy attitude, giving Izuku emotional whiplash.

"If anyone gets in my way, he's a dead man" he yelled as he took a seat next to Izuku.

"Are you worried?" Izuku asked carefully, his doe eyes conveying just enough concern to piss Kacchan off even more.

"The fuck would I be worried about?" he spat back as he leaned back against the wall.

"I don't know. I just thought maybe… Never mind." Izuku leaned back against the wall next to Kacchan, placing his hands by his sides. His pinky unintentionally brushed against the blond's. Izuku realized it right away, his body stiffening at the contact. If Kacchan noticed anything he didn't react, leaving Izuku to awkwardly wonder if he would bring more attention to it if he moved or if stayed as he was. Either way, Kacchan was sure to notice and would probably react violently.

"Settle down nerd. You're mumbling again" Kacchan whispered as he closed his eyes.

A surprised squeak escaped from Izuku as he clasped his other hand over his mouth, praying the blond hadn't overheard too much. He warily glanced over to the teen next to him and was surprised to see he was relaxed with his eyes closed. Emerald eyes darted between Kacchan's peaceful face and their touching hands. He felt like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. On one hand, this was kind of nice but on the other… it was weird for them.

"If you don't stop fucking squirming, I'll blast you" the blond said sleepily. Izuku looked at him, unsure before forcing himself to relax and close his eyes too.

_I'm not going to overthink this. It really is nice though…._

_XXX_

The next morning Mina and Kirishima entered the common area to find Kaminari still taped to the wall. A snot bubble inflated and deflated from his nose as he lightly snored while Mineta was curled in a ball, sleeping by his feet.

"Pfft. I need to get a picture of this." Mina reached into the back pocket of her very short jean shorts and held her phone up to snap a quick picture. As soon as the picture took, the screen fuzzed over leaving her with a photo of imperceptible blobs. "No! I need proof of this for later!" she wailed.

"What's wrong Mina?" Kirishima asked as he amused himself by watching the snot bubble get bigger and smaller. He longed to reach out and pop it but stopped short when Mina interrupted him.

"My picture didn't take for some reason." She held her glittery, purple phone out to show him.

Kirishima took the phone and tilted his head as he tried to make out what was in the picture. He handed her phone back to her and pulled out his own from inside his pocket. He held it above his head and flashed his signature smile with a thumbs up sign. "Huh, would you look at that. My phone's pictures aren't coming out either. Weird."

"That's just great" Mina ground out as she stomped toward the kitchen, Kirishima following closely behind.

Everyone else soon followed suit, packing their backpacks with various essential items such as extra clothing, flashlights, food, and first aid kits. They all gathered together for a quick breakfast consisting mainly of fruit and cereal. Izuku and Katsuki were the last two to join the group waiting by the door.

Iida cleared his throat to get his classmate's attention. "Listen up everyone! Shogi will be joining us as we search for his device. He does not have any combat training and will need our protection so let's all work together so we can get everyone back home." With that he pushed the large double doors open, allowing sunlight to spill into the darkened foyer. The atmosphere was brimming with excitement as the students took that first step toward finding their way back home, not realizing they had forgotten something very important back in the dormitory.

XXX

A/N: Alright my lovely readers. Starting next chapter, I'll be serving you all some adventure, seasoned to taste with violence and emotional drama! Will there be some saucy smut? Probably not yet, but who knows?


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

Miserable, truly the only adequate word to describe what it felt like to penetrate through the primeval and uncharted territory the students of class 1-A were currently attempting to navigate. Thick roots jutted out of the ground and were made slick by the fuzzy moss coating their rough surfaces. The monster sized trees were crowded close together, as if imposing there will upon our heroes and only leaving small openings to pass through which were made jagged by the tree's abrasive bark. Uneven rocks and broken foliage littered the ground, threatening to roll unsuspecting ankles from the slightest misstep. Even the air itself was against them, made heavy from collected moisture and dampening clothes within an hour of exposure. Each and every inhale felt heavy in the lungs making the simple act of breathing challenging in all new ways. To make matters worse, the humidity brought forth small insects who made themselves known as they hovered soundlessly around the students' faces and necks, occasionally seeking a bite upon exposed flesh.

Their only reprieve was the overall lack of rays burning against their skin due to the leafy canopy hovering well above their heads.It was a small reprieve because that same leafy cover acted as a layer of insulation, effectively raising the overall temperature and humidity of the area just below the tree line. Over time this blessing became a curse as they slowly began to realize they missed the feeling of sun on their skin and the strangling nature of the forest began to ware on their nerves. Yes, they were truly in hell, trudging through the fiery, inescapable labyrinth until the end of time.

Several hours have passed since they first set out to find Shogi's device. During that time, they continued to push through the treacherous terrain of the jungle relentlessly, without so much as a moment of rest and few words exchanged between them. As they continued, Tsu couldn't help but notice the ragged breathing, the slow and clumsy footfalls, and the utterly exhausted expressions plastered all over her classmates' faces. She herself felt taken over by these same ailments and quickly realized no one was going to admit to their shared moment of weakness. They had to continue despite their struggles, despite their hardships. They were heroes after all.

Making up her mind, she picked up her pace from the middle of their group to make her way to Iida and Shogi who were leading the way. "Um, Iida? I think we need to take a break." He stopped midstride to lower his gaze on his shorter classmate, adjusting his glasses slightly so he could see past the fog enveloping his lenses. "Everyone is exhausted and if we don't take care of ourselves, we aren't going to last much longer. Ribbit." She pointed behind her to the group of sluggish students attempting to keep up their pace.

Iida studied his fellow classmates, noticing the exhaustion that seemed to have crept in amongst them all. He himself felt it too, he just assumed he was the only one and was determined to push through despite his growing need for respite. "I see." He said thoughtfully while trying to suppress the relief in his voice. He cleared his throat and turned swiftly to address his classmates. "Okay everyone, listen up!" He looked through the group, his eyes landing on Izuku and Katsuki toward the end of the line. "I believe we would all benefit from a short break. We should all rest so we can replenish our strength. Don't get too comfortable, we'll be moving again in fifteen minutes so we can all stay in top condition."

"Oh, thank God! I can barely feel my legs." After allowing her bag to slip off her shoulders, Ochaco took a seat on one of the exposed roots. As she dug for her water bottle from the mesh outer pocket of her bag, she quickly smacked her hand against her neck to kill a bothersome mosquito. She lifted her gaze, searching for her green-eyed friend. "Hey Deku! Come sit with me, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Though he was panting heavily, Izuku still smiled brightly as he made his way over to Ochaco.

A certain blond-haired hothead was not impressed with this new development and made his displeasure known to the group as the rest of the students sat along various roots and rocks. He smacked his sweat soaked hand against his arm and then again just below his jaw as he glared at everyone. "You extras can rest if you want to…" He stopped midsentence so he could smack another bug. "But I'm going to keep going. I'm not going to be slowed down by any of you." He frowned as he smacked at yet another bug. "These fucking pests need to die!" He screamed as he popped off a few blasts to try to ward the ever-growing swarm away.

"Kacchan, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you sweat nitroglycerin, and given how much extra you've been sweating out here in addition to the sweet smell of your sweat it makes sense that the bugs are drawn to you specifically."

Katsuki glared at Deku, quickly reaching the point of no return. He growled as he let off another round of small blasts. "They can't fucking swarm to me if their dead! I'll murder every single one of the little assholes!"

"Really Bakugou? You're going to kill every flying insect in the forest?" Momo's sarcastic tone didn't seem to cross over to the angry teen who was currently still blasting the air around him with unbridled fury.

"Hell yeah, I will!"

"Bakugou! I must insist that you cease with the explosions. We don't know what kind of creatures live in this forest and we don't want to draw out unwanted attention." Iida swung his arms in the air as he spoke, trying to get Bakugou to stop.

"I have a suggestion for you" Tsu began, not quite loud enough to gain any attention though. "Uh, Bakugou? Hey… I said I have an idea!"

Suddenly all eyes were on her while Bakugou continued to blast the pests. "There is a stream nearby, I can smell it. If we head over there you can try to wash the sweat off. It won't last very long, but it might help a little. Ribbit"

"Uh, Tsu? How… how far are we talking?" The idea of washing the sticky layer of sweat off her skin was appealing but didn't necessarily outweigh Mina's desire to not move from her comfortable spot next to Shogi. She scooted a little closer to the scientist, humming quietly in contentment.

"Its not far. I think maybe just a few minutes away."

Everyone groaned as they forced themselves back up to their feet so they could follow Tsu to the river. It didn't take long before the soft sound of rushing water could be heard, and as they approached the flowing water the ground subtly transitioned from the forest floor to a mud and rock covered riverbank. The river itself was fairly wide, perhaps stretching twelve to thirteen feet across. The bank opposite of them was elevated several feet and lined by huge, vine covered trees. A few of the vines snaked around outstretched branches and dangled precariously above the water. In the students' hazy state, the vines almost looked like they were moving but perhaps it was only an illusion.

Sero beamed excitedly at the trees as he dropped his backpack and shot tape from his arms so he could swing above the water while he yelled like Tarzan before dropping in with a loud splash. He popped out of the waist deep water a moment later, whooping and hollering with glee. "Dudes! This is like bath water you guys. It feels so good!"

"We don't know what's in the water. That might not be the best idea." Shogi stuttered nervously as he watched the teen swim in the river.

"That looks like fun! I'm coming in!" Mina discarded her own bag before running toward the murky, teal hued river. She turned just before entering and yelled out "Hey Shogi! Why don't you come and swim with me?" She winked at him before turning and running the rest of the way into the water.

"D-does she treat everybody like that?" Shogi asked the redhead standing next to him.

Kirishima chuckled and patted him on the back. "Nope, just you bro." He laughed some more as he ran into the water to join his friends with Momo, Ochaco and Iida following closely behind.

Not really wanting to soak his already damp clothes, Shoto opted to rest on one of the larger rocks lining their side of the river with his feet dipping into the warm embrace of the water instead. He watched as Tsu leapt in and swam and splashed around with their friends.

After noticing Bakugou still hadn't joined them, Kirishima searched for his friend before spotting him standing on the riverbank, arms crossed over his chest save for the occasional smacking of the obnoxious insects. "Bakubro! Why aren't you getting in?"

"I'm getting there, shitty hair. Hold your damn pants on!" He yelled back with an angry scowl. He looked over his shoulder to see Deku squatting by a rock where a strange snake like creature with legs seemed to be resting. It was as long as his arm and was covered in yellow and green scales. The six legs jutting out of its sides were short and likely left its underside to brush against the ground as it walked. Deku was scribbling furiously in his bestiary, likely documenting every minute detail.

"Hey Shogi? Come look at this! Have you seen anything like this before?" Izuku turned briefly to call the scientist over before returning to the animal.

Shogi walked over to the rock to get a closer look. He knelt next to Izuku and eyed the animal carefully, recognizing the scaly appearance and the frilly little green feelers poking from its head. "Yes, actually I have seen those before." He pulled his notebook from his pocket, quickly leafing through it until he found the correct page containing a rough drawing of the animal as well as the name he gave it. He offered it to Izuku who compared their notes before writing in anything he had been missing.

"Tch, damn nerd" Katsuki grumbled under his breath, still not taking his eyes off that curly mop of green hair. He could tell Deku was totally engrossed in learning everything he could about wherever they were. It was almost cute. Almost.

"Hey Kacchan? Come look at this little guy." Izuku's excitement carried over in his voice and was infectious to those around him.

Despite himself, Katsuki found himself stalking over to the rock as if he were being drawn in by Deku's excitement alone. He looked over the nerd's shoulder to see the snake lizard thing sleeping on the rock, unbothered by the three pairs of prying eyes.

Choosing to take advantage of a rare moment of solitude, Jiro sat alone a few feet from the bank. She was close enough, so she didn't feel like an outcast but not so close that she'd be drawn into other people's conversations. She was thoroughly enjoying the tranquility of the moment when she caught a whiff of something that hadn't been there before. She tried to ignore it, whatever it was, but abruptly a second, stronger whiff came to her nose, the scent immediately capturing her attention. It was putrid and smelled like death. She wrinkled her nose in response and tried looking around to find the source. It was coming in stronger and stronger, to the point she had to hold back a reflexive gag from the stench alone.

"Hey, guys? Guys!" She had to cover her mouth and nose at this point in a vain attempt to block out the increasingly awful scent.

"What's up?" Shoto asked as he listlessly swirled his feet in the water. Izuku and Shogi were looking her way as well, curious to know what she wanted.

"Do you guys not smell that?" She gasped, the impending feeling of nausea threatening to consume her.

Suddenly, Shogi was on high alert. His eyes were darting all over the area as if he were looking for something. "What do you smell?" He asked as he continued his search.

"I dunno. It smells like something died and is rotting literally right under my nose." She coughed as she spoke before getting up to stand. If no one else smelled it then she must just be sitting in the wrong place. As she went to stand, she noticed the way Shogi's eyes widened in alarm, his face contorting into pure panic.

"Oh god no. No, this is very bad." The scientist's voice was rising with his panic, bringing in the attention of the other students playing in the river. "W-we need, uh we need to get out of here. Get to higher ground or something." He looked around, noticing everyone staring back at him, questioning his outburst. He glanced over to Jiro, his voice abruptly dropping to a whisper. "They must be close. You need to move from where you are quickly and-"

Unfortunately, his warning came too late. The space directly behind Jiro that was once a jungle began to shimmer as a huge reptile took shape there instead. The monstrous creature was easily fifteen feet long from the tip of its brown, scaly snout to the point of its thick, heavy tail. Brown and green scales covered its crocodilelike body, but what really stood out were the patches of decayed flesh. The patches along its snout ran so deep you could see its aggressively serrated teeth and jaw structure peeking out from under the broken-down flesh. Another large patch was located along its ribs, and similar to its snout, you could see some of the rounded, white bones of its ribcage.

It appeared so quickly, Jiro could only gasp in shock before its massive jaws snapped closed tightly around her leg with a deafening crack**. **The beasts long yellowed teeth sank deep into Jiro's leg, penetrating muscle and tearing cartilage. A sickening crunch was heard when the bite had reached deep enough to crack and permeate bone followed by Jiro's agonized scream. As the animal began to back away into the jungle, she screamed for help. "Help me! Please… don't let it take me!" Her screams seemed to aggravate the monster and it thrashed its head back and forth in response, tossing Jiro around like a ragdoll and causing audible popping noises as her joints dislocated from the force. The other heroes froze where they stood, unable to comprehend what foul fate had just befallen their close friend.

After recovering from the initial shock, Izuku, Bakugou, and Shoto rushed in to save her. Izuku ran forward as fast as he could before sliding on his knees across the ground to reach Jiro's hand. Shoto created a wall of ice behind the reptile while Bakugou aimed his blasts at the decay along its ribs. The animal released Jiro immediately and snarled painfully before whipping its tail at Bakugou. Seeing Jiro had been released and pulled up and away by Deku, Shoto froze it in a thick block of ice just before its tail reached Bakugou's face.

He smirked at Katsuki. "You're welcome" he offered as the blond scowled back at him.

"I didn't need your help, you Icyhot bastard!" He snapped his gaze away from Shoto in search for Shogi, feeling absolutely livid. As soon as he found him, he let his frustrations be heard in an angry tirade of profanities.

"Hey, you fucking Q-tip! Did you fucking know about those damn crocodiles?"

"I tried to warn-"

"That's not fucking good enough! Not when you knew there were huge crocodiles who could turn fucking invisible lurking around here."

Casting his head down in shame, Shogi muttered a quick apology. The hotheaded blond was absolutely correct. He should have warned them about the various, stealthy predators he had encountered.

"Is there anything else you think maybe you should share with us, you waste of space?"

"Kacchan, you aren't helping the situation right now. We can talk about this later. Jiro needs us!" Izuku was on the ground still holding Jiro. Rivulets of blood poured freely from her mangled and disfigured appendage. She appeared to have passed out from the shock, or was it the pain? It didn't matter in the end. The priority now was to stem the bleeding and keep her body out of shock.

"Tch." The blond hero turned on his heal to scout out the surrounding area while his classmates tended to the injured girl. They were clearly not safe so long as they were outside of the dorms . Moving forward, someone would need to stand guard any time they stopped to rest or take a break of any kind.

The rest of the students rushed out of the water and over to Jiro's side. Her head was positioned in Izuku's lap while Momo and Iida studied her leg. Her face was deathly white, and her ashen cheeks were soaked in her tears. She had little cuts and bruises all over her body from when the monster thrashed her around, but the worst wound came from her leg. Deep puncture wounds lined the skin, made to look almost black by the filling pools of blood. Purpling bruises were already taking shape around her calf which was beginning to swell from the trauma.

"She needs to go to the hospital." Momo mumbled as she pulled a large roll of gauze, a splint, a strip of white cloth and sticks of silver nitrate out of her chest. She immediate applied the cloth to Jiro's thigh, tying it tightly to act as a tourniquet.

"That's not exactly an option. We won't have the help of Recovery Girl either." Concern washed over Iida as he watched Momo carefully moisten the tips of the silver nitrate before gently applying it to cauterize Jiro's wounds. "She can't travel in this condition. We need to get her back to the dormitory." Momo hummed her agreement as she splinted and wrapped Jiro's leg.

While worried for their friend, Mina and Ochaco joined Izuku by Jiro's head while Momo worked. Mina swept her pink fingers through Jiro's sweat soaked hair while Ochaco squeezed her hand tightly, trying to suppress her own distressed tears.

"I'll take her" Shoto offered as he walked over to the group, standing next to Iida. "She'll need protection as we make our way back to the dorms and while she recuperates, so it makes sense for someone with a strong offense and defense to take her."

"You won't be able to fight off other beasts too well while carrying her. I'll come with you to help. Ribbit." Tsu knew this wasn't her fault, but she couldn't help but feel bad since she had suggested they rest at the river. This never would have happened if they would have stayed where they were initially.

"It's settled then. Shoto and Tsu will take Jiro back to the dorms while the rest of us continue onward." Iida picked Jiro up bridal style, careful not to move her leg more than necessary before placing her in Shoto's capable hands. As he stepped back, he couldn't help but grimace when he saw the red splotches that were already seeping through the gauze wrapped around Jiro's calf.

Before Shoto and Tsu could leave, Izuku ran up to the trio and took Jiro's pale, clammy hand within his own. "I'm sorry, Jiro. If I only would have acted sooner, if I was just faster, I could have saved you." Izuku blamed himself for not being strong enough to save her in time.

"Don't beat yourself up about this, nerd. We all got there just a little too late." Kacchan had left his post to see the three off and overheard Izuku's self-deprecating statement.

Everyone watched as Shoto and Tsu turned to head back to the dorms with Jiro securely held in Shoto's arms. Worry spread throughout the group as they noticed her gauze was quickly being saturated with blood. Momo shot a glance toward Iida, looking at him meaningfully before running to catch up with Shoto and Tsu. "They're going to need someone who can keep her medically stable. I don't have a lot of experience with this, but I think I have more than everyone else. I'm going with them."

The rest of the class nodded in agreement with her quick thinking, hoping the four could make it back in one piece. They continued watching them until their retreating forms were completely obscured by the jungle surrounding them.

Kirishima broke the silence, alarm sounding in his voice. "Hey guys… I just realized something."

"What's that" Ochaco asked curiously as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and grabbed her bag from the ground.

"We forgot Kaminari and Mineta at the dorms…"


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

Sleeping soundly by Kaminari's surprisingly odorless feet, Mineta was curled into a cute little ball while vividly dreaming of the huge knockers endowed upon Momo's chest. His mouth was slack, a trickle of drool streamed from the right corner of his lips and puddled just beneath one of his blushing baby cheeks. In his dream, Momo was dressed in her provocative, skintight hero costume. The deep red and black leotard hugged against her voluptuous curves while contrasting nicely against her creamy complexion. She wore her hair down, allowing her silken, black tresses to gently cascade down her small shoulders and collect between the curvature of her breasts.

They were inside Mineta's room, he had told her he was trying to replace the battery in his vibrating bed but didn't have the right tools to access it. Being the true hero that she was, she agreed to inspect the bed and create the correct tool to get into the battery box. He watched, enraptured, as she bent down at the waist next to his bed, examining it while Mineta took it upon himself to examine something much more important. He always wondered what kind of underwear she wore under that getup and now he had his answer, a simple, lacy black thong.

A little gush of blood may have made its way out of his nasal passage at this point, forcing him to quickly wipe it away with his hand. He watched her for a little while longer until finally she stood and turned to face him. A small pout formed over his lips at the loss of the very stimulating visual of her rounded ass cheeks hugging the skimpy material of her thong but instantly perked back into a pleased smile when his eyes returned to her chest.

"Now Mineta, I'm fairly certain your bed doesn't have a battery box like you said it did." She looked at him with one eyebrow quirked questioningly while tilting her head just a little to the side. Her hands rested along either side of her hips and she waited patiently to hear what his excuse might be.

He knew he was busted; he could feel his heart pounding in his chest but more than anything he just wanted to extend this moment a little longer. Suddenly, a sly smile twisted over his features, as a nefarious idea formed inside his tiny little skull.

"Maybe the box is on the other side of my bed. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's where it is! You should crawl across it and check." He did his best to maintain a neutral expression lest she should catch on to his ruse.

Laughter filled the room and he watched, dismayed as she giggled at his suggestion before kneeling by the bed to pick up the detached plug. "I'm pretty sure we both know there isn't a battery box. It just plugs into the wall." She then took the plug and slowly inserted it into the nearest outlet before turning back to him. "If you wanted me alone in your room, you could have just asked."

"I-I could?" This must be a trap. He felt certain.

She laughed again before pressing her teeth into her bottom lip, her expression turning serious. She pointed to her cheek as if suggesting there was something on his face. "You've got a little red smudge on your cheek there. Is that blood?" She sauntered over to him to inspect it, her hips swaying suggestively as she moved.

Mineta wasn't sure why there would be blood on his cheek, but then he remembered how he wiped the blood from his nose and must have left some along his skin. He was lost in thought for a moment, trying to determine how best to remove it without dampening the mood when he felt light pressure on his shoulders. A soft gasp escaped from his mouth when he realized her hands were on his shoulders and she was bent down low to make eye contact with him. Her breasts were squished together deliciously between her arms and right below his gaze, begging him to reach out and touch them. He went to do just that but stopped when he realized her face was getting closer and closer to his own, her lips parting lightly to reveal a pink tongue.

So startled was he that he froze, not even breathing as he waited for her to kiss him. When she finally reached his face, she angled her mouth away from his which confused him until he felt something warm and wet press against his cheek, slowly drawing its way up to just under his eye.

Mineta gasped awake, his eyes shooting open as something wet and slimy seemed to be dripping onto him. With squinted eyes, he tilted his head up to see his friend still soundly asleep, the drool from his mouth making its way down his chin and splashing right on top of Mineta's cheek bone.

"Eewww!" The boy swiftly rolled away before another drop could land on him. Once he was safely distanced from the world's most disgusting waterfall, he roughly wiped his sleeve against his cheek until the skin was red and prickly from the hard friction. He glared at the still sleeping blond as he went to grab a chair from the dining area so he could set it next to his friend. He climbed up and while on his tippy toes he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and screamed as loud as he could, "You stole the most important dream of my life from me! Now I'm going to steal you're hearing you thieving bastard!"

"Ahh!" Kaminari's eyes opened and his whole body flinched violently within the restraints of Sero's tape. He was breathing harshly, eyes darting all around in alarm until they finally landed on the smug looking boy standing just below eye level. "That was not cool. You gave me a heart attack!"

As his breathing decelerated and the sound of blood rushing past his hears died down, Kaminari tried to raise his hand but it wouldn't budge. That was when he noticed the tape holding him in place against the wall. "What's this about? Could you cut me down please?"

"You kept trying to walk outside. Sero did this for your own protection." Mineta offered in a bland, mater of fact tone as he grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and began cutting the confused boy from the tape. As he worked on freeing his friend, Mineta was quick to fill Kaminari in on what had happened since he spaced out.

"Okay, so where exactly is everyone? They didn't leave already did they?" The spikey blond-haired hero eyed the sink of dirty breakfast dishes suspiciously as he spoke, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of his stomach.

Mineta also noticed the dishes, and the peculiarly quiet atmosphere that was very unusual for their shared living space. It was never quiet, not even at night. Someone was always making some kind of noise. To be sure, he cupped his hands around his mouth once more and yelled, "hello? Is anyone there?" His question was met with utter silence, and he turned to Kaminari, their eyes wide as they realized what must have happened.

"They… forgot about… us…" Mineta stuttered as he woefully stared at the front door. "H-hey! Where are you going?" He noticed Kaminari was heading toward the doors leading outside and was almost afraid to hear what his friend's answer would be.

"We gotta find them. Let's go!"

XXX

The final rays of sunlight painted the sky in a breathtaking arrangement of soft reds, glowing oranges and blushing pinks. As day transitioned to night, so too did the lively ecosystem of the jungle. The evening air came alive with the constant, low hum of insects, the territorial shrieks and growls of unknown species of mammals, and the soft rustle of leaves that seemed to be getting closer and closer with every passing minute.

After the recent incident involving Jiro and the murderous crocodile monster, the remaining students of class 1-A were on high alert. Every sound was suspicious, any movement could have been deadly. They had their quirks and training to rely on for protection, but what good was that in a world full of unknown creatures and predators who have perfected the art of camouflage? Not to mention, the dwindling size of their group created a deep-seated feeling of vulnerability amongst them that had previously not existed.

As they continued to weave through the labyrinth of the forest, Shogi stopped completely. He tilted his head back so he could attempt to peer through the green canopy and gauge how close they were to nightfall. The slowly cooling temperature told him the sun was likely setting, and the world would soon be cast in darkness once again. The rest of the group stood around him, curious to know why their new comrade suddenly stopped.

"Its almost nighttime." He said as his gaze met with Iida's.

"No shit Sherlock. Get to your point." After Shogi neglected to warn them of some of the more dangerous animals in the forest, Bakugou had lost all patience for the scientist. As far as he was concerned, Shogi was nothing more then a liability and in the way.

"Nighttime is… well its dangerous. There's a lot that goes on after the sun sets." He looked over to Iida, hoping to get some support from the engine hero. "It would be wise for us to make camp and continue tomorrow at daybreak."

"Oh, so now after one of our classmates got mauled by a fucking halfdead looking crocodile, now you want to fucking warn us?" Sparks ignited from Bakugou's palms as he ranted at the scientist who was now shying away from him.

Unable to make eye contact with the furious blond, Shogi directed his response to Iida. "I am very sorry for what happened to your friend. I would like to stop anything like that from happening to anyone else so I'm telling you it would be a mistake to continue right now."

While straightening his back and squaring his shoulders, Iida considered Shogi's advice and addressed the group. "I must concur with Shogi. We don't know what's out there and with decreased visibility it would be careless for us to continue at this rate. Shogi? How did you stay safe during the nights? Do you have any experience you can offer us as we prepare to make camp?"

"Well, I learned early on that its best to sleep in an elevated location."

"You mean like in the trees?" Izuku cast a quick glance upward, already trying to determine what the best method would be to sleep without falling.

As if reading Izuku's mind, Ochaco voiced their joint concern. "How exactly are we going to do that without falling? The lowest branches are high enough that we'd break bones if we fell."

"Sounds like its right up your alley then, huh Deku?" Katsuki teased the greenette, a smirk firmly in place as he spoke. A few snickers sounded from the rest of the class at his joke, meanwhile Deku puffed out his cheeks in annoyance.

Sero eyed the darkening trees closely before beaming a confident smile as an idea formed in his mind. "I've got it guys! I can use my tape to make hammocks. The branches are large enough that I could attach two to the underside of each one."

"That's a great idea bro! I've always wanted to sleep in a hammock." Kirishima met Sero's smile with an equally dazzling one of his own.

"I agree. And since I'm pretty small, Shogi and I could obviously just share a hammock so that's one less you need to make!" Mina squealed in delight as she imagined snuggling with the sexy scientist all night long.

"I cannot condone co-ed sleeping arrangements! And I must agree that making hammocks in the trees is an excellent idea." Iida nodded his head in approval while giving a thumbs up to Sero.

Although it was a solid idea and Bakugou knew this, he refused to acknowledge it as such. "Better than nothing" he mumbled under his breath, unwilling to give it any more credit then that.

The sound of knuckles cracking temporarily overrode the slowly increasing volume of wildlife as Sero pressed down on the joints in his fingers. Ochaco crinkled her nose and covered her ears with her hands, the sound sending goosebumps over her skin. The students watched in awe as Sero propelled himself with his tape and got to work forming hammocks for everyone. It took him about twenty minutes to create eight banana shaped beds of tape, all of which hung precariously from the tree branches.

"I said I don't need one" Mina whined as she stuck her tongue out at Sero who was heavily huffing from overexerting himself. Excess sweat dripped from his body while he admired his handy work, ignoring Pinkie's protests.

Shogi felt very uncomfortable by the pink teen's advances and was thrilled the tape boy made him his own bed. Was she cute and spunky? Sure. Was she way too young and inexperienced for him? Yes, yes, she was. Catching the look of disappointment on her face, he tried to offer some comfort, so she'd be less upset. "You don't want to share a hammock with me. I toss and turn in my sleep and one of us would probably end up falling out." He gave her a quick, closed eye smile before going back to inspecting the hammocks. "How will we get up there?" he asked curiously.

"Sero, Ochaco, and I can help with that" Izuku offered. The sound of snapping twigs startled him, causing Izuku to jump while whipping his head to the side so he could investigate the source of the disturbance. He watched as Kacchan shuffled his feet and kicked at loose rocks on the ground with his hands shoved in his pockets. He was grumbling something about the extras but Izuku couldn't quite make out what he was saying. He returned his focus to the rest of the group. "Let's eat and get ready to turn in for the night. If tomorrow is anything like today, we're going to need our rest."

Several heads nodded in affirmation as Izuku slid his bag from his shoulders so he could dig out some food and his water canister. He pulled out a bag of almond fish and tore it open. It wasn't exactly his favorite thing to eat but it was nonperishable and high in protein, making it a good choice for his circumstances. Ochaco sat next to him on the ground and immediately leaned into him so she could rest her head on his shoulder. She had a half-eaten pocky stick in hand and offered a second chocolate coated stick to Deku. He gratefully accepted it before offering her a handful of his dried fish and almonds. The rest of the students dug into their own snacks which varied from protein bars, to seaweed crisps, to chocolates and candy.

"I hope the others made it back to the dorms okay" Mina commented as she slowly chewed the food in her mouth. She was extremely worried for Jiro and everyone trying to get her back to safety.

"I'm certain they made it back just fine" Iida offered. Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Tsu were all extremely capable. His concern rested in her recovery more then anything else. She was probably in shock and lost a lot of blood, not to mention the broken bones she likely sustained. She had a long road of recovery ahead of her, but he didn't feel it necessary to burden anyone else with those possibilities. It was important for them stay remain focused on the mission at hand!

With the moon fully position in the sky once again, the students couldn't help but to feel unsettled by the return of the eerie red glow it cast over their surroundings. They couldn't see the moon through the dense foliage overhead, but still the red hue managed to seep through cracks and spaces between branches and leaves, fully enveloping them in its creepy glow.

"Its seriously getting late. We really need to move up into the trees, like now." Shogi looked nervous, his eyes darting sporadically from location to location, as if he were half expecting something to jump out at them at any moment.

"I can agree to that. I'm beat!" Sero stood up and walked over to Shogi, offering to help him to one of the hammocks. The scientist hesitantly wrapped his arm around Sero's side who in turn did the same. He pointed his freaky elbow joints to the trees and released his tape so he could hoist them both up to safety.

White material shot from his elbows as usual but instead of shooting to the intended branches to pull them up, it quickly lost momentum and flitted leisurely back to the ground like a feather in the wind. Sero's bright, toothy smile faltered and he watched, dismayed, as Mina grabbed his tape, bringing it close to her face for inspection. She studied his tape, rubbing the material between her thumb and index finger before casting a nervous glance to Sero.

"So, you might not want to hear this right now but um… it's not sticky at all and its flimsy too." To demonstrate, she pressed her fingers on both sides to show they didn't stick and then she easily shredded it into confetti like pieces.

Dumbstruck, Sero blinked at her demonstration before frowning deeply. "Wh- no, just no. That's… that's impossible." He, along with the rest of their classmates, grabbed a piece off the ground and repeated Mina's demonstration. His eyes widened, and few gasps could be heard from the others as they all confirmed it to be true. He raked his hand threw his damp hair in agitation before trying to shoot out tape a second time. He watched, absolutely horrified, as his "tape" once again drooped slowly to the ground. He woefully grabbed a handful of the material while whispering, "what kind of hell is this?"

"That's not possible" Izuku stated as he sifted through the long row of "tape" that hadn't been shredded yet.

"That's just great. Congratulations, you've been reduced to a fucking toilet paper factory. You and the q-tip are equally as useless now." Bakugou thought for a moment before adding with a smirk. "I guess not as useless since we now have unlimited toilet paper."

"Kacchan! You're not helping!" Izuku glared at the blond before returning to scour the paper product Sero created while rapidly mumbling about different circumstances that could have led to it happening.

"Shut up nerd. Who said I was trying to help?" Bakugou angrily shouted as he prepared to let off small blasts from his hands, only those small blasts weren't really blasts at all. Instead what came from his palms were something akin to the little sparks of fire that spring from a sparkler stick. Bakugou's face reddened with rage as he pointed his hand at a tree and tried to let off a blast big enough to be considered an attack. Once again, just sparks… and some smoke. "WHAT THE FUCK!" He was livid, trying to release blast after blast but producing nothing significant.

The rest of the students were beginning to feel some concern now for their own quirks. Kirishima tried his next but was only able to harden one area of his body at a time, and it really wasn't even that hard. Ochaco couldn't get anything to lift more then a few inches from the ground and Mina's acid was as potent as the juice from a lemon. As Deku watched all this unfold, his mumbling quickened while the gears in his head tried to keep up with the strange phenomenon. He was struggling to concentrate over the panicked gasps and shouts from his classmates and was about to tell them all to calm down so he could think when a loud sputtering sound startled everyone. He swung his gaze over to the source and found Iida had tried to use his engines, only to have them sputter uselessly as he stood there with his head cast down in shame.

"Hey you fucking nerd! Try your quirk!" Kacchan yelled at him while unimpressive sparks continued to sizzle in his palms.

"Um, o-okay!" Izuku wasn't sure he wanted to know if his quirk worked or not. He searched the area before finding a large, moss covered boulder. He activated his full cowl, and as he felt the power surge through his veins, he attacked the boulder with his shoot style, landing one swift and powerful kick to the side of the boulder. A loud boom filled the air as the boulder exploded into tiny pieces, while effectively coating the area in dust and debris. He attempted to use his power at roughly 20% but the output felt more like 10% to him.

'Wait that's it! Our abilities have been reduced to 10% output.'

'But if that's the case, why?'

Izuku frowned as he considered the implication of his theory before Kacchan's enraged shouting caught his attention.

"What in the actual fuck? Why can you still use your quirk but the rest of us can't? This is bullshit!" His little spark display was popping wildly in his hands as he threw his little tantrum.

"Well, I have a theory…" Izuku began.

"Would you mind sharing your theory with the rest of us?" Iida was curious to know his thoughts considering he had no clue himself.

Hesitantly, Izuku considered how much he should actually tell them. He couldn't give too much away about AFO. "I think our abilities have been reduced to roughly 10%. I have no idea why though." He shrugged, frustrated that he couldn't determine any more than that.

Ochaco tilted her head to the side, resting her cheek in her hand. "If that's the case then why are you still able to use your quirk so well?"

"Yeah!" Mina agreed.

"That's because when I use my quirk at 100% it breaks my body, so I've actually only been using anywhere from 5 to 20% of my power to begin with…" His friends gasped in shock, staring at him like he had three heads.

"5 to 20%?! That's all you've been using? Are you fucking serious, Deku?" Katsuki knew the nerd wasn't using all his potential but he didn't realize this whole time he was utilizing such a small amount. "So basically, until we figure out how to get our quirks back to normal, you're the only one who can actually do anything. That's just fucking great."

"That's pretty crazy" Ochaco added, as she stared at her best friend in awe.

"But wait, yesterday Kaminari and Momo were still able to use their quirks and when we first met Shogi, I was able to use my quirk. What gives?" Kirishima asked no one in particular as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

"Perhaps it has to do with exposure?" Iida offered. "Kaminari and Momo were still inside of the dorms when they used their quirks. And we had not been outside for very long when we first met Shogi. But then again, we were outside for hours when we needed to defend Jiro earlier. Hmm…"

"If I may, I have a theory" came a timid voice from the back. Everyone instantly gave Shogi their attention as they waited expectantly for him to continue. "My quirk isn't anything special, but I've also noticed it diminishes but only at night."

"I'm fucking sorry but are you telling me you knew this could happen and once again didn't fucking think to tell us?" Bakugou was back to shouting again, this time actually coming at Shogi with murder written all over his face. Kirishima had to jump in front of him to slow him down.

Shogi instantly backed up with his hands out in front of him. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't think much of it. I thought perhaps it was just me or that it had something to do with the device transporting me here."

"You listen here q-tip. If we have one more situation where you conveniently forgot to tell us something, we're leaving your ass and we'll get the device on our own. You fucking understand asshole?" At this point Deku had jumped in to help Kirishima prevent Bakugou from killing the man who was slowly shrinking away from the enraged teen.

"Bakugou, as class rep I must insist that you cease threatening the civilian. A pro hero should never act in such a manner!" Bakugou barred his teeth, growling in response to Four Eyes before shoving Shitty Hair and Deku off of him. He crossed his arms over his chest with a huff while glaring menacingly at the poor scientist who looked like he would like to be just about anywhere else at the moment. Iida sighed deeply, feeling frustrated by his inability to use his quirk and disappointed in his classmate's behavior. "Midoriya, since you are the only one able to at this point, would you mind helping us to the hammocks?"

Izuku beamed at the engine hero in response, relieved to know he could still be of assistance in their dire situation. "Sure thing! Shogi, let's get you up there first." He knelt low to the ground and motioned for Shogi to climb on his back. As Shogi did as he was told, Izuku locked his arms around the scientist's legs, securing him in place. He crouched low to the ground before springing up toward the trees, smiling lightly when he heard Shogi chuckle in excitement from behind him. He grabbed onto the first branch carrying hammocks and pulled himself on top of it. The bark was rough under the pads of his fingers but he payed it no mind, instead wholly focused on the task at hand. "I'm going to take the Hammock next to yours. I think we should go over your journal so we can be better prepared in the morning" he said to Shogi as he lowered him from the branch into the hammock.

"Oi! No way are you sleeping next to that forgetful asshole. We barely know him!" Kacchan was angrily pointing up at the pair, screaming louder then necessary. He didn't understand why Izuku was still being so nice to this idiot whose forgetfulness had gotten them into trouble multiple times now. If you pair his forgetfulness with Deku's complete disregard for his own safety, you have a disaster waiting to happen. No, someone needed to keep them from getting too close and Katsuki was willing to take that bullet.

"That's ridiculous Kacchan. I need to see his journal so-"

"Then he can fucking give it to you for the damn night!"

Shogi's eyes darted between the scary blond and the sweet boy perched on the branch above him. They seemed to be in the middle of a glaring contest at the moment with neither giving in to the other. He pulled his journal from his pocket and offered it to Izuku. "Here, you can have it for the night. I don't want to cause any more problems. If you have any questions, we can talk about it in the morning, okay?"

Frowning, Izuku reached down to take the offered book. He shook his head in exasperation before offering a sympathetic look to the scientist who seemed to be on the receiving end of his childhood friend's bad attitude. "Thanks, I guess" he said before lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "Sorry about him. He takes some getting used to, but I believe he has everyone's best interest at heart." Shogi simply smiled in response, not quite believing what Izuku said but hoping it to be true anyway.

After pocketing the small, worn journal, Izuku leapt back to the ground to help the rest of his classmates up to safety. Ochaco gave him a tight hug, Iida apologized repeatedly for his failures while in a time of crisis, and Mina demanded to take the Hammock next to Shogi. Izuku had to laugh when Kirishima declared him to be the manliest bro of the evening while patting his back. Sero didn't say much at all, seemingly still distraught over his beautiful tape being reduced to something one would use to wipe his ass with.

Finally, it was Kacchan's turn, who was still fuming while Izuku waited awkwardly for him to accept his assistance. It took a long time for them to find common ground, an understanding that Izuku simply idolized his friend and hoped for them to stand together as hero's one day. He was not trying to prove his superiority over the blond, but instead was simply working hard so he could earn that spot next to him. Izuku offering any form of help was still very touchy between them and the greenette could see Kacchan's reluctance radiating off of him through his tight expression, rigid stance, and clenched fists.

"Just do it already!" Mina screeched down to them, giggling as though there were a second meaning behind her words.

Kacchan was not amused. "Fuck off Pinkie!" He hollered back to her while stomping over to Deku to climb on his back. "I could climb the tree if I wanted to, but I should conserve my energy for the next disaster that happens" he grumbled as they flew through the air toward the last set of Hammocks. He lowered himself into his bed and watched with a scowl as Izuku did the same. The nerd smiled sweetly at him before lounging back to study Shogi's journal with a flashlight. The blond settled back into his own hammock with his hands resting behind his head as he gazed up into the leafy, green canvas of trees.

The loud cacophony of noise emitting from all directions was maddening and he was sure he wouldn't get much sleep that night, if any. Though admittedly he did feel unusually exhausted, likely from the intense stressors of the day and the soothing sounds of the nerd's soft snores was slowly lulling him into oblivion. Maybe he would be able to get some rest after all. As his eyes grew heavy with sleep, Katsuki vaguely noticed a small bunch of luminescent mushrooms growing right above him. He could have sworn they weren't there before, but then again what did he know?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

It had been a long day for Mineta and Kaminari. As soon as they left the security of their dorms the humidity clung to their clothes and skin, causing the damp cloth of Mineta's shorts to ride up his slick skin and bunch together between his butt cheeks. It didn't matter how many times he tried to tug it back out, it just rode its way right back up there. Kaminari noticed his smaller friend constantly pulling at his shorts but wisely chose not to mention it.

A few minutes into their journey they stopped for a short rest, both needing a moment to catch their breaths. Trudging through an uncharted jungle was exhausting and Kaminari felt parched, as if his mouth was full of sand. That was when he realized their first mistake.

"Uh Mineta…"

"What is it?" He snapped at the blonde. Between his constant wedgie and the gross nature that was just everywhere, well he had enough already. He was all for finding the rest of their group despite all of this though. Afterall, if their clothes were clinging and riding up, he could only imagine what the hot babes of his class must look like right about now.

"It's just that we didn't pack any kind of survival gear. We don't have water or food. We should head back to stock up."

"Are you serious?" Mineta just stared at Kaminari in disbelief. "I'm blaming you for this. You were the one that was all gung-ho about going out on an adventure, which by the way, has sucked so far. I'm tired and sweaty and these stupid bugs keeping biting me. Maybe we should just stay at the dorms until they come back."

"No way. We should catch up with the rest of them." Kaminari turned back toward the dorms, tugging on Mineta to follow him who begrudgingly obliged.

It took them twice as long to make it back to the dorms because Mineta refused to move faster than a snail's pace, blaming his short legs for the inconvenience. After they grabbed supplies Kaminari threatened to carry the smaller teen if he didn't walk at a quicker rate. That seemed to do the trick and soon enough they were struggling through the maze of the jungle once more.

They trekked on for several hours before needing to take another break. They found the trunk of a fallen tree and sat side by side in silence, just staring out into the sea of dimly lit green. Mineta started to hum quietly while whimsically swinging his feet, meanwhile Kaminari's attention was drawn to the forest floor. It almost looked like it was shifting beneath them. The soil itself wasn't packed like everywhere else and appeared to be aerated. He continued to watch, as the soil seemed to move like it was being displaced from below. Slowly, the soil rose into a small mound, the dirt pushing up like something was trying to dig its way out of the earth.

Everything seemed to still around him. Kaminari held his breath and watched as two, inch long mandibles popped out of the ground followed by the rust colored body of a sizable insect resembling an ant. As quickly as it unearthed itself, the ground shifted again, but this time more noticeably. Dozens of tiny mounds were forming throughout the soil causing panic to swiftly sweep through Kaminari. He clutched at Mineta's tiny shoulder and pointed to the ground with a shaky finger.

"D-dude…. Don't freak out but-"

It was too late. Mineta was freaking the hell out. "Oh my god! Are those ants? Why are they so big? They're going to eat us alive!" He clambered back up to his feet and took off in the other direction, sprinting as fast as his stubby legs could carry him with Kaminari striding next to him. "What the hell is wrong with this place!?" he screamed as he threw his sticky purple balls behind him to slow the colony of ants that were now giving chase like an unstoppable sea of lava.

They sped through the forest as quickly as they could, vaulting over fallen logs, dodging trees and shrubbery, and trying their best not to trip over the protruding rocks strewn all over the ground. Despite their best efforts, the colony was quickly gaining on them. They both had thought about their deaths before as is only natural for those in their desired line of work. Kaminari assumed it would happen when he was vulnerable after he short circuited his brain. Mineta hoped it would be by a mob of feisty and beautiful women looking to teach him a lesson, hopefully after he had gotten away with something truly divine. Neither had ever thought it would be like this, eaten alive by a horde of insects.

"You're my bro, you know that man?" Kaminari screamed at his friend, anticipating their impending fate to befall them shortly.

"D-don't talk like that- Wait, what's that up ahead?" Mineta strained his eyes at the area they were approaching. There seemed to be a split in the tree line and as they neared, he could hear what sounded like rushing water!

"It's a river!" Hopeful triumph laced Kaminari's voice as they approached the riverfront. Both sides of the river were lined by mossy, wet rocks, making for a treacherous surface to run across but that wasn't going to stop either of them.

As they neared their side of the riverbank, Mineta began to slow his pace slightly. He eyed the rapid water with concern. "We don't know what's in there. No way am I- Ah!"

Before he could finish his thought, Kaminari rolled his eyes, picked him up by his collar and punted him into the river. "Yes you are!" He said as he made a desperate dive himself, just before the mass of predatory insects could take him.

Sputtering loudly, Mineta's head popped out of the water and he struggled against the current as he tried to clear his lungs. He swam quickly to the other side and drug himself up onto the rocky ground of the other side. He glared at Kaminari mumbling "I hate you" under his breath.

It was tense as they watched the swarm of ants approach the river. They both knew if the ants wanted to, they could plow through the water, sacrificing the front line as a bridge through the water for the rest of them. Luck seemed to have smiled upon them though, because the ants abruptly stopped in their tracks and retreated back into the forest.

"That was close" Kaminari commented as he shook the water out of his hair.

"Denki, why didn't you use your quirk on them?" Mineta sounded suspicious as he questioned his friend. He could have deescalated that situation quickly if he would have just electrocuted them.

"Huh, guess I was so freaked out I forgot I could do that for a minute." Kaminari chuckled at his own stupidity while Mineta's mouth dropped open.

"You're a terrible hero" he pointed out.

"Hey now, I'm doing my best." Kaminari lounged back to catch his breath, paying no mind to the jagged rocks poking into his back. "So, which way now?"

"Which way? What do…. I thought I was following you!" Suddenly, Mineta's mouth felt dry as the implications of his words dawned on him. "We're lost!" he wailed as he brought his knees to his chest and whimpered into his lap.

The few remaining hours of daylight were filled with bickering between the two as they argued over which way felt the most right. They didn't know how to get back to the dorms and they didn't know which way was forward, the scenery all looked the same to their untrained eyes. Eventually, nighttime descended upon them, bringing with it a whole new set of problems.

It was growing too dark to navigate properly, so Kaminari grabbed his phone to use the light as a flashlight. Frowning, he eyed the flashing battery warning with irritation before deciding to give it a little charge. Bakugou wasn't wrong after all. He did make a good charger.

Much to his dismay, what actually came from his finger was a little zap that held as much punch as the static shock you'd get after shuffling across the carpet in wool socks and tapping someone else's skin. He tried again and produced the same, sad results. "What the crap?" he said, scratching his head in confusion.

"Huh" Mineta began while grabbing at one of the purple balls on his head. When he tugged at it to pull it off, he noticed he wasn't able to remove it as easily but what really surprised him was when another didn't instantly form in its place. "What the…" He tried again, grabbing at each one, just to have his misfortune repeat itself. Sure enough, for the first time in a long time, Mineta's head was balless. He wept dramatically as he frantically brushed his hand all over the top of his head. "I'm bald!" he cried while eyeing his friend with watery eyes. "Does it look bad? Am I ugly?"

Unable to hide his concern for being stuck, mostly powerless, in the jungle, Kaminari simply shook his head and patted the smaller boy on the back reassuringly. "I, uh.. I think we should probably stay here for now. Maybe we can continue in the morning."

Mineta nodded his head in agreement. He plopped down and crossed his legs while leaning back against the trunk of a tree. Kaminari joined him and closed his eyes, trying to calm his increasing unease and get some rest.

Loud thunder boomed all around them, scaring the crap out of both the boys and waking them instantly. The thunder was followed by warm rain, cascading down the leaves and limbs of the trees. The duo was soaked to the bone within minutes.

"That's just great" Mineta grumbled. He smoothed his hand over his head to check on his balls and was pleased to feel small bumps were beginning to form. That was something at least.

"Look, there's a hollowed-out space in the trunk of that tree over there." Kaminari pointed to a large tree, the bottom portion of its trunk forming a small cavern just big enough for the two of them. Mineta scrambled over to it immediately, followed by the blond. It was a tight fit; both the boys were pressed together which was made more uncomfortable by their soaked clothes. They stared out into the surrounding forest, watching the droplets of rain pelt against the ground. Neither expected to get much sleep after that.

XXX

Soft snores and the occasional slap of skin filled the night air as the ongoing battle against the pestering bugs of the forest waged on perpetually. The students slept somewhat fitfully in their makeshift hammocks, tossing and turning, trying to ignore the everlasting noises of the jungle. The air was as still as ever, and so heavy in moisture that the students glistened with a dewy hue under the dusty glow of the red moon, filtering through the leaves above them.

The hurried rustle of leaves being disturbed directly below them was just enough to startle Izuku awake. His eyelids snapped open by the unexpected sound, his chest rising and falling with exaggerated breaths and his heart beat rapidly as a needed spike of adrenaline surged through his veins. Taking care to control his breathing,he turned his head to investigate the source of the noise. Images of the elite predator shimmering in and out of its camouflaged state, its yellowing, jagged teeth clamped around Jiro's unnaturally contorted leg and its rotting patches of flesh pulling away from its bones flashed before his eyes. He shook his head, trying to quickly dispel the unwanted image and swallow his fear of the unknown beneath them.

Sweat dripped into his eyes from his forehead, the salty substance making his eyes burn like crazy. He rubbed at them gently with the damp cotton of his tee shirt which clung uncomfortably against the damp skin of his bicep. He blinked several times and tried once again to peer toward the forest floor. His breath hitched and his eyes widened as he swung his gaze up to the less frightening canopy of darkened green above him.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

He hesitantly looked back down to the leaf and moss-covered floor, wearily eyeing the unnaturally large black mob scuttling across the ground. The first thing he noticed about it was that the bulk of its size came from its horrendously long, stick thin legs. He compared the leg to body ratio to be similar to that of a spider except unlike spiders whose legs stretched out along either side of its cephalothorax, the legs of these creatures extended out entirely in front of it while its body hung slightly lower than the apex of its legs and appeared to be just along for the ride like some kind of obovoid shaped back pack.

While both alarmed and transfixed by the jet black, oversized thing expertly navigating its way through the forest floor, Izuku just couldn't take his eyes off of it. Maybe it was from fear, maybe it was curiosity he wasn't certain. Either way, he watched curiously as it poked around the surrounding flora as if it were searching for something. Izuku guessed it was looking for food but had no way of knowing for sure. He just hoped it wasn't another carnivore. It looked like it could be anywhere from ten to even eleven feet tall and with his classmates at such a disadvantage with their quirks, it could pose a real threat to them.

A nearly imperceptible movement off to the side temporarily captured his attention. When he looked over in that direction his eyes locked with red irises which were looking intently back at him. He watched as Kacchan slowly brought one finger up to his lips, motioning for Izuku to remain quiet before he returned his gaze back to the animal lingering below them. He shifted his gaze to the other beds and noticed everyone had been woken by that thing and were carefully watching it. Most of the students appeared wary, apart from Ochaco who looked like she was having a silent freak out moment. Then there was Shogi who was continuously pointing to his pocket until it dawned on the green haired teen that he was telling Izuku to look at the journal.

Izuku pulled the journal from his own pocket and leafed through the worn pages until he found an image that resembled the creature. Next to the drawn picture were the neatly printed words, Yoru no kyōfu along with a short description directly beneath it. "The Yoru no kyōfu, or kyōfu for short. This strange insect like species appears to be predatory and feasts primarily on small prey. The kyōfu only come out at night while its daytime nesting places are currently unknown. From a personal account, it has been verified that these animals will give chase to larger prey and they move very fast. Best to rest above ground when possible as they seem to pay no mind to anything above them."

Izuku's eyebrows raised a little as he contemplated those last two sentences. He couldn't help but wonder how Shogi managed to stay alive before their paths crossed. Was it his quirk? He still hadn't offered much in the way of information about his quirk so up until this point Izuku assumed it wasn't useful, but now he wasn't so sure. How could this man survive in a place like this without the help of a quirk? Were there originally others who came here with him and who he chose not to mention? If so, where are they now?

As Izuku watched the kyōfu gracefully amble off deeper into the jungle, he pocketed the journal and closed his eyes, determining that he would need to ask Shogi about his quirk in the morning.

XXXX

Katsuki woke in a cold sweat several hours later. He held his pounding head between his palms, his nails digging into his scalp as he tried to distract himself from the internal throbbing. He felt on edge, panicked even but he had no idea why. His eyes darted all around him, searching through the eerie darkness for something, anything that may have been out of place. Just as his eyes landed on the luminescent mushrooms sprouting from the branch above him, he heard something completely unexpected.

"Katsuki."

His name brushed over his ears in a whisper, the voice sounding almost ethereal as it called to him. He must be hearing things. Fuck, he was exhausted. There was no other explanation.

"Katsuki!" It came in a little louder this time and his eyes widened when he realized he definitely wasn't hearing things. "Escape. You must escape!" The voice in his head was piercing through his skull now, commanding him to do something he didn't understand. "Danger. Danger. Danger. Escape!" The urgency of its tone compelled him to listen. Something wasn't right. He was in trouble.

"Imposters! Imposters, your classmates are imposters! Run Katsuki!"

"No one tells me what to fucking do!" He spat out while harshly gripping at his head as if the action would force the head splitting pain to subside. Despite himself, he nervously studied the sleeping forms hovering around him. He could have sworn Kirishima's hair was a darker shade of red, and since when did Sero snore like that? And Mina, he could have sworn Deku brought Mina to a different bed when they first settled in for the night. His suspicion mounted at an accelerated rate as he continued to pick apart things that he didn't think were quite right.

"Run away!" The voice was back now, egging him on and making him feel like he really should do just that. "Escape the imposters! They imprisoned your friends in a cavern nearby. Save them, Katsuki! Save your friends!"

He was hyperventilating now, his inhales were deep, and each exhale felt stuttered as his lungs shakily forced the cumbersome air out again. There was no doubt about it. These people were not his classmates. Somehow, they had been switched. The voice in his head continued on, shouting "save them" over and over again. Each time it came in louder than the last. He was beginning to feel sick, his senses overloaded. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to save them, and he had to get away from there if for no other reason then to get the damn voice to shut the fuck up.

With shaking legs Bakugou raised himself up to a crouched position, the force of his movements causing his hammock to become unsteady and sway back and forth. For the briefest of moments, he thought better of his plan, the impending danger of falling 20 feet forcing reason back into his struggling brain. That reason was quickly swept away by the unyielding voice still shrieking at him, reminding him he was in danger and must escape immediately. It was so loud and commanding that he no longer felt like he could think. Its demands forcing his limbs to move as though they had a will of their own. As soon as the rocking hammock stilled, he slowly reached his hands up to grasp at the branch above him, pulling himself up and away from the safety of his bed. He stood along the rough, uneven surface of the knotted wood while holding onto the branch above him for support.

"Move Katsuki!" The voice bellowed in his head and once again he found himself obeying its command instantly. He shifted his feet quickly along the bark until he made it to the massive trunk of the tree. He wrapped his arms and legs around the jagged trunk and began shimmying his way down, ignoring the stinging pain resulting from his sensitive skin brushing against the abrasive bark as he descended.

Unbeknownst to Katsuki, his hurried movements jolted Izuku awake who, after a moment of disoriented confusion, was surprised to find Kacchan not only missing from his bed but hurrying down the trunk of the tree like the plant was about to burst into flames at any second. "K-Kacchan? Kacchan! What are you doing?"

His shouting startled Katsuki, causing him to shift in the wrong way, at the wrong time, and promptly fall the rest of the way to the ground. The fall was only a few feet, but it was still enough to knock the wind out of his lungs. He grasped at his chest as he rolled over and scrambled onto his feet to look up at Izuku, and now the rest of their friends who had all been woken by the kerfuffle. His eyes were wide, expression manic. Izuku instantly realized something wasn't right.

"Kacchan! Oh my god, are you okay?" He watched as Katsuki began taking retreating steps back, mumbling something quietly under his breath that Izuku wasn't able to catch.

"Bakubro, what are you doing? You're going to get yourself seriously hurt, man!" The concern Kirishima had for his friend seemed to only irritate the blond who glared up at him.

"Shut the fuck up fake shitty hair! I know you aren't really him!"

"Fake…" Mina looked to Izuku as if he'd have all the answers to this out of character episode Bakugou seemed to be having. "What's he talking about? What's going on?"

"How did he even get down there?" Sero questioned with a scowl, realizing his precious tape was still coming out of him all wrong.

"Bakugou, I don't believe separating yourself from the group is a wise decision on your part. Please come back immediately!" Iida took his glasses from his pants pocket and slid them on only to huff in frustration when he realized the lenses were filthy and he couldn't see a thing through them.

Izuku became more and more concerned by the minute. Kacchan wasn't acting right and if he ran off into the jungle without full use of his quirk, he'd end up dead. "Guys, I don't know what's going on" he said, alarm present in his voice as he watched the blond suddenly turn and run. "Kacchan! Its not safe. Come back!"

A distant echo made its way through the thick brush as their friend distanced himself from them. "I'm not fucking stupid! I know what's going on here!" he shouted back to them.

"He's completely lost his mind" Ochaco whispered as she considered trying to go after him.

Disbelief clouded Izuku's judgment for just a second before he activated his quirk and leaped toward the ground in the direction Kacchan had run off to. His landing wasn't exactly graceful but thankfully he managed to remain upright despite his stumble. He peered over his should to his friends still hanging in the trees. "Don't try to follow me guys. Your quirks haven't been restored yet. I'll bring Kacchan back as soon as I can! If we aren't back by morning you should continue on. We'll catch up." With that, he sped off in the direction of the blond, hoping he'd catch up to him before something else did.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for the comments, likes, and follows. Your support means a lot to me! Please continue to feed me comments, I enjoy reading them.

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

The four worn and weary travelers barely made it back to the dormitory in one piece. Jiro's leg required constant adjustments. First, the gauze soaked through and needed changed so Momo removed the bloodied material and replaced it with a fresh wrap. Not too long after it was changed, they noticed the wrapping wasn't secure, so they had to stop again to rewrap and secure the dressing. During their second stop they noticed what looked like a small pack of wolves that were trailing them for who knew how long. They likely smelled Jiro's blood and were subsequently drawn to them as a result. They stopped a third time so Momo could give Shoto a break from carrying the injured girl and this time the animals were barely concealed and much closer than before as they watched the teens from their hiding spots.

Their yellow eyes watched from behind the bushes and trees, and as the sun began to set those predatory eyes glowed eerily as they trailed the groups every movement. None were too worried, given they had their quirks to protect themselves but still, there was something deeply unsettling about being the one hunted.

Once the dorms came into view, they quickly scrambled up the stairs and into the foyer, thankful the wolves never actually attacked them. As Shoto went to rest Jiro on one of the plushy couches in the common area, Tsu peeked out the window to see if the wolves were still there. It was completely dark outside at this point, but she was still able to see those creepy glowing eyes staring back at her form the forest line. "They're still there" she said as she turned from the window to check on how things were going with Jiro.

"If you're worried, I can go start a fire outside to ward them away." Shoto walked up to the window to look for himself while Momo had a bowl of water and washcloth in hand. She sponged the sweat and dirt off Jiro's face and arms, mothering over her as best she could.

"I'll help you, Todoroki. Tsuyu, do you mind sponging her off while I help get the fire started? Just be careful of her leg, I have it stabilized, but if you move it by accident it could do some serious damage."

"Of course, I'm happy to help wherever I can!" Tsu rushed to take over for Momo while the other two teens went outside.

There were plenty of materials scattered across the ground to get a good fire started and with the two of them working together they had everything ready within fifteen minutes. Shoto lifted his hand, palm extended toward the kindle as he activated his quirk. A small flame lit around his fingertips instead of the showy flame he was going for. Confused, he studied the flames emitting from his fingers before noticing the small flame was actually burning him.

"Ouch!" He yelped as he shook the flame from his hand.

"What is it?" Momo questioned as she watched the whole occurrence.

"My flame… it was hard to maintain, and it burnt me." He studied his fingers, noticing how the tips were darkened where the fire burnt him. "I think I could have gotten the flame a little bigger if I tried, but if it's burning me, I don't think I want to."

"Well that's peculiar." Momo thought for a moment before deciding to try her own quirk. She focused on the makeup of a box of matches and activated her quirk. She watched in total shock as the box of matches she created popped out and landed in her hand, being no bigger than the size of a penny. Refusing to believe what just happened she tried again, this time going for a raincoat since the air was beginning to smell an awful lot like rain. She imagined a beautifully ornate floral coat painted in bright yellow sunflowers. The coat she got was big enough to dress her big toe at best. She huffed in annoyance before a loud howl pierced through the air, reminding her of what they were trying to accomplish in the first place.

"We better get back inside. Without our quirks, we aren't going to be able to fend them off very well." She slowly backed toward the safety of the dormitory with Shoto following her lead.

"Well this was unforeseen" he casually commented. As soon as the back of their heels hit the beginning of the staircase, they both turned and made a mad dash back up the steps, running through the entryway and slamming the door behind them. "Now what?" he asked no one in particular.

"Don't know" Momo breathed as she peered out the window at the growing number of glowing, yellow eyes staring back at them.

XXX

Katsuki ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His muscles ached, his skin stung where errant branches whipped against his face and arms, and his head continued to pound relentlessly. He wasn't even sure where he was trying to go anymore. A cave maybe... Yeah, that sounded right. The scenery around him was a blur of green as he pushed through the jungle's depths. He could still hear the thunderous whoosh of what was undoubtably the nerd lookalike chasing him from not too far behind. The Izuku he knew was clumsy as fuck. There was no way the real Izuku could stay on his tail for that long in the middle of the shitty, obstacle strewn jungle. The real Izuku would have been snagged by mother nature by now, probably with at least one broken bone while muttering to himself about where he went wrong.

Chancing a glance behind him, he spotted a determined haze of green, which was frankly too close for comfort. The shitty doppelganger wasn't using One for All to catch him either, just more proof that it couldn't be Deku. Nevertheless, he was catching up quickly and with the infernal voice finally beginning to dull, Katsuki wondered why he was running away instead of fighting back. Running away was what weak extras did. It was not what the future number one hero, Katsuki Motherfucking Bakugou did.

With his mind made up, he abruptly stopped so he could fight off fake Izuku and get information from him about where they were keeping his classmates. His feet skidded across the slick ground and he grabbed ahold of the wide trunk of a tree to steady himself. He heard Izuku come to a stop just behind him, his noisy pants coming in rapidly and matching his own. Preparing for their upcoming throwdown, the blond turned slowly until he was face to face with the perfect replica of his childhood friend.

"Back the fuck off" he ground out while taking on an offensive stance. He concentrated on evening out his breathing as he watched his green clad suspect like a hawk, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Deku's eyebrows drew together in confusion, unsure why Kacchan was acting so aggressively. The stare down continued for a minute before Deku took a step forward, hands raised in front of his body like he was approaching an injured animal. "Kacchan, are… are you okay? Why did you run away like that?"

The hotheaded teen wasn't listening, eyes zeroing in on the encroaching enemy. That one step forward was one step too many. He abruptly lunged at Izuku with a frantic swipe of his right first, aiming for Izuku's head which was no longer there. He realized too late, Izuku had stepped into his guard and raised his own left fist, upper cutting the blond under his chin. The blow to his unguarded chin landed with debilitating force, knocking him hard against the forest floor and onto his backside.

Retreating a few paces back, the green haired teen quickly put distance between the two, not wanting to hurt Kacchan anymore than he had to. "What the heck Kacchan? Why are you attacking me? We should be working tog-"

Before he could get another word out, Bakugou was on his feet and rushing at Izuku again. Right fist raised in the air, he swung at Izuku who raised his left arm to deflect the blow, catching the inside of Bakugou's arm with his wrist and redirecting it up and away from his freckled face. Izuku than slid his hand up the blond's arm and grabbed ahold of his wrist, effectively pulling Kacchan off balance. In the meantime, the smaller teen bent his right knee and snapped his leg toward Kacchan's exposed ribcage. With a grunt, Bakugou managed to block Deku's kick with his left arm just in time.

Without a second to waste, Deku disengaged from Kacchan and retreated back once more. Before he could catch his breath, the blond charged forward with Izuku watching his right hand, preparing to intercept his signature right hook only to be blindsided by a left straight punch impacting his jaw with a deafening crack. He stumbled backwards, trying to refocus his vision. Before he could reengage, Kacchan was already on him, tackling him to the ground and blindly throwing punches toward Deku's raised guard.

Each blow drained Izuku's stamina more and more every time it connected with him, hitting with what felt like the force of cinderblocks raining down upon him. The teen wasn't sure how much more of a pummeling he could receive from such heavy fists. He was reluctant to use One for All for fear of injuring Kacchan but quickly realized he didn't stand a chance and would get hurt if he didn't. Feeling backed into a corner, Izuku activated full cowling to help protect himself from the onslaught of Bakugou's fists.

Teal currents encased Izuku's body, drawing Kacchan's attention away from attacking and instead focusing on the power that only Deku could possess. The assault of punches came to a hesitant halt, Kacchan now studying the boy beneath him with rapt attention. He quickly grabbed Izuku's wrists, which were still positioned in front of his face, and pinned them above his head, the green haired boy allowing it if it would help calm the clearly confused teen.

Green currents snaked around Izuku's frame like ivy to a tree, prominently displaying his subdued power as he waited for Kacchan to make the next move. The ground was warm and damp beneath his back, he was pretty sure a stick was trying to push its way into the meat of his shoulder, but he paid it no mind. Instead, Izuku shifted his gaze to look up into those intense, red orbs which were squinting back at him in contemplation.

Those familiar green eyes locked with his own, showing no fear or hesitation, just waiting patiently. He never really took the time to look into them like this, like really look into them. His pure green irises were kind of pretty and matched the lively shade of the forest around them perfectly. Similar to the multitude of shades within the jungle, Izuku's eyes also reflected different hues of green, beginning with a light fern green around the outer perimeter and darkening into a warm pine circling his pupils.

Katsuki's head felt weird, like it was too full and yet totally vacant at the same time. His brain couldn't seem to catch up to the evidence presented in front of him, evidence suggesting this had to be the real Izuku. Rationality tried to pop the bubble of confusion which surrounded his mind like a near impenetrable fortress of madness. What was he even doing at this point? Running away from the nerd like some coward and then fighting him off like he was a villain or something. Deku would make for a fucking terrible villain. Deku was way too soft and shit. And now, here he was, staring into his eyes like they were the key to his own salvation. Fucking absurd.

Still, this couldn't have happened without a reason. There was a reason he suspected Deku and the rest of their class, right? He recalled it was in fact that voice in his head, telling him they weren't to be trusted. His face twisted into that of a scowl, his grip on Izuku's wrists tightening with frustration, causing the smaller teen to flinch from the pressure against the bruises forming along his skin.

Realizing Kacchan might need a push, he puffed out a little air and lifted his chin. "Its me, Kacchan. Its Deku."

"Deku" Katsuki breathed out, the word feeling right to him as it matched the bundle of green beneath him. He lowered his face until their noses were practically touching, at first as an intimidation tactic but that quickly changed when he breathed in the scent of mint and dirt coming off the boy. It was comforting, the way Deku always smelled a little like mint, even now as he was covered from head to toe in sweat, dirt, and just a little blood. Before he knew what, he was doing, his lips brushed lightly against Deku's, finding them to be even softer than he expected.

To say Izuku was startled when the lips of his childhood best friend turned bully were suddenly connecting with his own would be the understatement of a lifetime. His breath hitched and he stared wide eyed at the speculating irises just inches above his face. A dizzying array of thoughts passed at lighting speed through his brain.

What is happening? Why is this happening? Did he… pass out? He's staring at me; he couldn't have passed out. Oh god. He's going to murder me for this. Why hasn't he stopped yet? Was this on purpose? No, no, silly me. It couldn't have been on purpose. He must have lost his mind. That has to be the answer, he's gone crazy. But still, this is… this is nice actually. Kinda feels right…

Too soon, Katsuki pulled away, sitting up right over Izuku's hips and letting go of the teen's bruised wrists. He looked as surprised as Izuku felt but that look was fleeting and quickly was replaced by his trademark scowl. Izuku had a million questions about what just happened. "What-"

"Don't" Katsuki glared at the boy as he stood and backed away from him. Izuku noted there was something different behind that angry look. Where it once was aloof there was now something more, something heated.

With a sigh, Izuku got up from the ground, brushing his clothes off with a few rigid swipes from his scarred hands. He surveyed both Kacchan and himself for injuries, noting the blond seemed to be doing the same. Izuku really wanted to talk about that kiss, but he could tell Kacchan did not, so he pushed it away for the time.

"Um, Kacchan? What exactly happened back there?"

"Tsk. Hell if I know. One minute I was sleeping and the next there was a damn voice in my head telling me you were all fake and the real ones were hidden somewhere." He blushed almost imperceptibly as he spoke, hearing the absurdity of everything as it tumbled from his own lips.

"Wait, you heard voices? Kacchan, that's not normal. Maybe-"

"Listen, you damn nerd. I'm fine. There isn't anything wrong with me and I don't need you worrying about me." He crossed his arms defensively and turned his head in the direction they came from, dismissing Deku's concerns. "We're heading back now, and you aren't going to blab to them about a single thing that just happened here. Got it?"

"They're going to want to know why you ran off. Am I just supposed to ignore them when they ask?"

"Be creative, I'm sure you can think of something, damn nerd."

As they began to make their way back to their classmates, the smell of damp earth permeated the jungle which was soon followed by the low rumble of thunder off in the distance. They heard it before they felt it, the sound of rain bouncing off the leafy canopy above them before pervading through the thick cover and coming down hard all around them. They were utterly soaked within seconds, leaving them both to stare openly at each other in complete bewilderment.

Izuku broke away first, throwing his head back with a full bellied cackle. He wiped the water from his face and pushed his soggy bangs from where they stuck to his forehead. "I'm not sure today could get much worse, even if we tried."

Kacchan had been fighting the urge to join in on the mirth, a few delinquent snickers managed to slip through despite his best effort, making Izuku smile in return. A loud crack of thunder sounded overhead, causing Izuku to jump. Katsuki smiled devilishly. "You're not scared of a little thunder are you, nerd?"

"What? Of course not. It was just really loud is all." Despite the warmth surrounding them, Izuku was beginning to tremble from losing so much body heat to the evaporating water. He hugged his arms around his body, rubbing his palms vigorously over his skin in an effort to warm himself. "Come on, lets just head back. The others aren't going to stay in the trees with this kind of downpour."

Disagreeing as per usual, the blond shook his head in response. "We shouldn't try to travel in this. Let's just find shelter or some shit and wait it out." Katsuki knew he could probably make it back just fine, but he wasn't so sure about Deku. The teen took a lot of hits and though he tried to act like he wasn't injured, Katsuki saw right through that. He would never admit to worrying over him, but the feeling was there, nevertheless.

"O-okay Kacchan. Let's find shelter then."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's another update for you all to enjoy. So, I am jumping around in this chapter a little, so I apologize if its confusing or hard to follow. In my mind it makes sense but if you are having trouble following let me know so I can try to fix it and answer questions. And once again, thank you for your comments, they really do keep me going. Thanks, and happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

Manliness was not just a word to live by, but instead Kirishima's whole worldview and philosophy. The unbreakable teen tried to bring a little manliness into everything he did. Bakugou needs to release his pent-up stress in explosive combat before he can simmer down? Kirishima's the man for the job. An innocent creature of the forest is about to be ruthlessly flattened by a recklessly speeding chunk of steel? He'll gladly step in and save the little floof. Mina needs to be forcibly subdued from jumping Shogi's bones? He'll take that bullet. But when his fellow classmates determine they've waited long enough and must continue, leaving two comrades behind to catch up and follow their makeshift trail of breadcrumbs? That's not manly at all and let the record show he fought that decision tooth and nail.

Sadly, he was outnumbered which was why he now followed closely behind the group with his head hung low, his guilt pressing forcibly down upon his shoulders. It was unnatural, actively choosing to leave someone behind. Especially when that someone was his main bro Bakugou and the very manly Midoriya. He kept playing the whole ordeal over and over again in his head, feeling more shame each time he did.

They waited and waited and waited for the two to come back, Midoriya's words still ringing clearly in his ears. "If we aren't back by morning you should continue on. We'll catch up." As the hours passed by so too did their hope for a swift return. Eventually, the sky cracked opened and soaked them to the bone in one of the most smothering torrential downpours he had ever experienced. To add salt to the wound, they were literally stuck in those trees during the whole course of it. Without their quirks, they had no way to get down safely and if they did get down, they would have been practically helpless against an attack of any kind.

It would have been comical, to be a fly on the wall looking in instead of the one actually experiencing it. They looked like a pack of wet dogs, their hair smattered around their heads, their clothing soggy and for some, practically see-through. Good thing Mineta wasn't there for that because of course the two wearing white were Ochaco and Mina. Sero had actually packed a little umbrella but like, it was raining sideways so that pretty much did nothing for him. By the time the rain stopped it was morning and after about an hour of waiting, their quirks slowly returned to normal.

"Okay guys, so we all agree from now on we are going to make covers over our beds at night, right?" Mina looked meaningfully to the grouchy crew around her. "Because if we are going to be stuck in those hammocks all night, I so do not need to go through that again. It was cold and wet and now I smell weird. Never again!" She shook her head with finality, leaving no room for any opposition.

"Agreed!" Ochaco chirped, her fingers raking through her short bob of brown hair in a vain attempt to get it under control. Eventually, she gave up on taming the knots and opted to smooth it back and out of her face instead. "What about Deku and Bakugou? Deku said he'd be back by now…."

"Actually, he said if he wasn't back, we should keep going." Shogi added.

"What?! No way!" She seemed affronted by the mere idea of moving ahead, and Kirishima whole heartedly agreed.

"That's not the manly thing to do. We should wait for them."

"Please, those two will be just fine. They will have no trouble catching back up to us" Mina added as she ran her fingers through Ochaco's hair in an attempt to help the brunette subdue the knots she had apparently given up on fixing.

"How will they find us then? Its not like they know their way around the jungle or anything" Ochaco wondered as Mina continued to fuss over her hair. Mina was a saint for even trying and Ochaco was glad she was there to help.

"I have an idea! I could use my tape and mark the trees with an "X" as we go. They're smart, they'll know it's a trail for them to follow."

"That's a clever idea, Hanta. I must say I was on the fence, but I believe if we leave them a trail to follow then there's no reason why we can't continue forward. Speaking of moving forward, Shogi?" Iida glanced in Shogi's direction a burning question he'd been meaning to ask at the tip of his tongue.

"Hmm?"

"How exactly do you know where you're going? You are almost as new to this place as we are so I can't help but wonder what's guiding you?"

Shogi was thoughtful for a minute before answering Iida's question. "When I was attempting to make modifications to the device, I luckily had the foresight to attach a tracking chip." He pulled out a small, metallic box with a two-inch screen on the front and a bunch of grey, rubberized buttons underneath.

"That is good thinking. Okay, with that question answered I believe as class rep it should be my call as to whether we venture on or wait for their return. As such, I will lean in favor of the majority. Mina, Sero, Shogi, and I feel we should continue forth while Ochaco and Kirishima want to stay. Therefore, we shall continue onward, while marking the trees so they can catch up to us."

"No way!" Ochaco and Kirishima spoke in tandem, both in complete disbelief that their classmates would leave the two behind.

A rare glare marred Kirishima's usually gleeful features. "Leaving them behind isn't right. It isn't about whether they can follow us or take care of themselves. We'd be abandoning them! Heroes do not abandon anyone!" He was shaking with emotion as he spoke, outrage pouring into every spoken word.

"He's right. They deserve better than that. What if Bakugou still isn't okay? We would be leaving poor Deku to just, what? Figure it out!?" Kirishima nodded along as Ochaco spoke, thrilled she pointed out something no one else seemed to want to touch on, Bakugou's mental state.

"Actually, after your friend ran off, I noticed there was a luminescent mushroom growing just above his head. I had a rather, er… unfortunate bout of hallucinations and the like after trying to consume some a few weeks, or uh, days ago. It wore off after a few hours for me and since he did not ingest any, I would assume it would take even less time for him."

"No one asked you" Ochaco ground out with more venom then anyone thought she could muster.

"Rude! Don't be upset with Shogi for giving us the facts. I know you want to stay, and I wish we could, but this isn't going to be over until we get that device" Mina retorted, her pink hands stilling in the unruly mop of brunette strands before shaking her head and continuing.

"Mina's right. Uraraka, Kirishima, we need to keep moving so we can return home." With that, Iida slung his backpack over his broad shoulders while Sero quickly taped a large X on the trunk of the great tree supporting their hammocks.

Kirishima had a bad feeling about leaving them. He didn't like it one bit.

XXXX

"Okay, okay, okay. Just… just hear me out Kacchan. There's an almost endless number of ingredients you can add to it to change its flavor and even texture! You want it smooth, stick with chocolate or caramel or something. You want some crunchies, add a candy bar or some cookies. I mean, did you know there are specialty shops that will add a whole slice of cake? Think about that… a WHOLE slice of cake, Kacchan!"

"Sounds like a whole slice of diabetes to me" Kacchan muttered as he pushed past a branch hanging in his path, leaving it to whip behind him. Izuku saw it coming and ducked just in time to avoid getting hit in the face. He continued with his train of thought as he followed, not quite as closely, behind the blond.

"Not to mention the base flavors. There's so many! Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, strawberry, mint chocolate chip… Kacchan, I miss food. Like, I really miss food. If I have to play bug roulette with you one more time, praying it won't be the poisonous kind as I throw it into my mouth, I think I might cry."

"I don't see how that's any different from your normal, Deku. Such a damn crybaby…"

"That's not nice, Kacchan!" Izuku continued, ignoring Katsuki's attempt to rain on his parade. "Anyway, there's even options for grouches like you. There's such a thing as Mexican chocolate, you know. You could throw a few scoops of chocolate in there and drown it in your spicy chipotle powder."

His ears perked at the mention of spicy chocolate and Katsuki had to admit that did sound like something he would enjoy. Not that he'd say that to the nerd. It was bad enough Deku had been droning on and on about food he missed for two days straight. No way was he going to encourage it further. Still, with the heat and humidity they'd been subjected to for several days now, a Mexican chocolate milkshake did sound good. He could even make some homemade chipotle and honey whipped cream to top it off with, crafting the perfect hot weather treat.

To be fair, he was also tired of guessing which bugs and plants were safe to eat. The food they brought had run out two days in but luckily with the help of Shogi's journal, they were able to pinpoint some safe and not so safe things to eat, but it wasn't enough information to live off of. Therefore, they'd often find themselves hopefully guessing. He hadn't gotten sick yet, but the shitty nerd tossed chunks on more then one occasion. And that was just their food troubles. They also had to figure out how and where to get water, so they didn't fucking die from dehydration. As it turned out, it rained almost every night so that problem was solved each morning when they would go out and collect rainwater from broadleaves and other vegetation throughout the terrain.

"Hey, look over there." Deku's voice pulled him from his thoughts, leading Katsuki to follow in the direction he was pointing. "That tree has the tapped "X" on it. Its been a while since we saw one. I was beginning to worry we made a wrong turn somewhere."

"Tsk. My internal compass is infuckingfallible. I could find them even without tape dispenser's little "X's" marked everywhere." It was true, he'd be able to track them down off his own gut instincts and directional sense, no problem. The fact their friends thought they needed the extra support was just fucking insulting. He'd let them know as much as soon as they caught up with them.

Five days ago, he and Izuku returned to their camp to find it unsurprisingly empty. The "X" tapped to the tree caught both pairs of eyes immediately and after some discussion they agreed it would be better to follow the group ahead instead of trying to find their way back to the dorms. Especially because of fucking course, Deku was the only one with a functioning quirk at night. It was kind of ironic really, but whatever.

At first, it was a little awkward. Izuku couldn't seem to meet Katsuki's eyes which was just fine with him because he wasn't sure he could meet the nerd's gaze either. Any exchange they had was quick and to the point, leaving them to wander in uncomfortable silence. The blond didn't mind the quiet, but he could tell it was killing the nerd, who pretty much wore his emotions on his sleeve. He knew Deku wanted to talk about that kiss, but he wasn't even sure what to say about it. He had no clue what led him to do it, but he recalled how he felt like pandora's box had been opened immediately after the fact.

Suppressed feelings and desires crowded around in his head and suddenly he was noticing things he refused to acknowledge before. Things like how Deku drooled a little in his sleep and when he woke up in the morning there was almost always a dried trail leading from the corner of his mouth to his chin. The way his entire face lit up when he talked about Heroes, especially Almight. Then there were his cute freckles. He knew they were all over his face but due to recent events he could now attest to them thoroughly covering his arms and legs and likely his back and chest too. Then there was how Izuku seemed to love animals almost as much as that extra Koda did.

Any time they found any kind of animal, even what he now referred to as the squirrel demons, little fuckers who looked like squirrels, but their claws were long and fierce and their fangs were jagged and disproportionally huge, Izuku always pointed it out with enthusiasm. In some cases, such as with the squirrel demons, he tried to pick them up to pet them. Needless to say, Deku was gifted with four-inch claw marks raked across his forearm and two, needle sized holes in that fleshy part of his hand between his thumb and index finger. He told him not to try and hold them, but Izuku insisted, damn nerd.

For every little thing he noticed, an unfamiliar feeling would accompany it. He was becoming accustomed to the nerd's mumbling voice, constantly going on about something or other, lately food. One time it grew quiet long enough that Katsuki actually stopped in his tracks to check for Deku, feelings of worry racing through his blood, causing his heart to momentarily stutter. He found him not too far behind, sprawled on his stomach with Shogi's journal in hand and writing furiously as he ogled an unusual looking plant. To be fair, it was strange with its silky, purple leaves which jutted out of an especially thick, eggplant colored stalk. The leaves themselves were long and fuzzy, while some kind of golden dew collected on its surface. The leaves were also harboring a bunch of tiny black bugs, all of which congregated around the pools of the dew.

Sometimes he'd catch himself thinking back to their kiss, the memory causing warmth to bloom in his gut. He wasn't used to feeling that way about anyone and was less then pleased with his hormones choosing now of all times to become active. Still, a foreign sense of longing seemed to invade his senses during those times and at some point, he started wondering if Izuku thought about the same kind of things. If he did, he would never admit to it. That left Katsuki with two options. He could shake it off and deal with his feelings silently or he could corner the nerd and force him into a confrontation of sorts. Katsuki did like confrontation, so it really wasn't a difficult choice to make.

He recalled how the two of them were sitting across from each other, eating what was left of their packed food. Izuku was munching on a matcha tea flavored Kit Kat bar while Katsuki took a few swigs of his water. When Katsuki finished, he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, collecting the leftover moisture from his drink. He noticed how Deku seemed to have watched the movement with interest before realizing he had been caught, and quickly diverting his eyes back down to the green candy bar in his hands.

A smirk tugged at the corners of Katsuki's lips, and deciding it was then or never he leaned into the other, capturing Deku's chin between his index finger and thumb and pressing his lips against the nerd's. A surprised "eep" came from the smaller teen, Izuku pressing his lips together into a hard line. Katsuki persisted, going as far as wrapping his free hand around the back of Deku's head, his fingers carding through the nerd's dampened, green tresses. Katsuki waited patiently for a little give from the other, and finally, finally finding it when Deku's rigid body relaxed and his lips melded with Katsuki's instead of fighting them.

Heat creeped over Katsuki's face, transforming his normally pallor complexion into a bright cherry red. A peek from his eye told him Deku was in the same state but despite that he felt the other hum… contentedly? Yes, contentedly against his lips. He felt as Deku tentatively shifted his body, inching closer to Katsuki so he could place his open palms against Kacchan's chest. At first Katsuki was worried the nerd was going to try to push him away, but he didn't. Instead, for a little while at least, they were able to just enjoy each other. The feeling of Izuku's soft and warm lips, the very distant scent of mint mingling with the hint of green tea still lingering on the smaller teen. The way his green curls wrapped around his fingers and the feeling of his impressive bicep beneath Katsuki's roaming touch. It wasn't nearly as impressive as his own of course but he still had to give credit where it was due.

When they finally broke apart Izuku looked dumbstruck, skittish even while Katsuki felt smugly satisfied. He wasn't sure where it was going to go or how long it would last, but for the time he was content, happy with what seemed to be a new chapter for both of them.

"Kacchan? Hey Kacchan, are you listening to me?"

Izuku calling him had broken Katsuki from his silent reverie and he quickly turned to pin the nerd with an expectant glare. "Haah? What are you going on about?"

Izuku continued, exasperated with having to repeat himself. "I'm trying to tell you about how I want to eat new foods when we get back home. I feel like I've taken it all for granted, you know?" His overly earnest expression and serious tone about such a simple subject was frankly cute and endearing. Funny how he never noticed how adorable Deku could be sometimes.

Katsuki smiled knowingly. "I think I could concoct a few new things for you to try when we get back home."

Izuku found his Cheshire grin to be very suspicious. "Spicy?"

"Is there any other way to eat food?" The blond thought that much would have been obvious. Deku frowned disapprovingly before sticking his tongue out at him and continuing onward, the little shit. With a sigh, Katsuki relented, "Yeah, yeah okay fine. I'll make you some of that sweet shit you like but only if you at least try the spicy stuff."

That caught Deku's attention, and he stopped mid step over a fallen branch to inquire further. "How spicy are we talking, Kacchan? You know I don't like spicy."

"For you, it'll probably feel like your fucking taste buds are burning off. For the rest of the world, it could be categorized as medium heat."

"I'm not a wimp Kacchan. I can handle medium heat."

A laugh, and Katsuki was retracing his steps back to Deku. He kissed him lightly before pulling away to whisper, "We'll see about that, shitty nerd."

Izuku rocked up to his toes and returned Katsuki's kiss, his lips lingering before making a declaration of his own. "Challenge accepted" he whispered back into his ear, nibbling slightly on his lobe and bounding off to find the next "X."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

Muffled snickers sounded from above him, leading Kaminari to tilt his head up toward the crowded canopy above, his eyes diligently tracing each leafy branch as he searched for what should have been an obvious purple patch of human. With an amused grin, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted "MARCO!" to the treetops. He did not have to wait long for a response.

"POLO!" Mineta's shrill voice sounded much closer than it did a few minutes ago, reinforcing to the blond that he was heading in the right direction. He was pretty sure Mineta was right above him, if maybe a little to the right. His gaze shifted over a few trees, spotting quick movement as the tiny teen tried to scoot to another branch and take cover behind the trunk.

He was such a cheater. They agreed climbing into trees was against the rules because the person who was "it" had to physically tag the other, leaving Kaminari at an unfair disadvantage since he did not have a good way to quickly scale up the tree. It wasn't like he could shock the little asshole either since wood did not conduct electricity. That left him with one choice.

He quickly backed up until he was hidden by the surrounding brush, giving himself cover while he readied his plan. He took his backpack off and grabbed the sharpshooting gear he promised he wouldn't use during their little game. As far as he was concerned, if Mineta was going to cheat then so would he. He slid the metal band over his wrist and locked it into place, smiling sadistically as he imagined what was coming for his duplicitous friend.

He crouched low to the ground, shifting his weight so he could crawl low amongst the bushes around him. He knew exactly where Mineta was positioned and wasted no time in scuttling as fast as he could on his hands and knees, trying to hold in his own laughter at their antics. As soon as he had eyes on the purple teen, he pointed his gear at the tree and shot a disk which attached to the trunk about a foot above Mineta's head. The sound his gear made upon release was swallowed by the surrounding sounds of the jungle and the smaller teen didn't notice anything, wholly focused on finding Kaminari who seemed to have disappeared on him.

"Gotcha," Kaminari whispered as he pointed his finger to the disk and released a low voltage streak of electricity. He did feel kind of bad for Mineta, given he was about to electrocute him, but what's done is done.

The flashy bolt traveled through the air, hitting the disk along with anything directly in the area around it. "EYYAAA" Mineta screamed as his tiny body jolted from the flow of electricity before loosing his footing and falling backwards from the branch he was squatting on only moments ago. Kaminari watched, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in a silent "O" as the teen fell. He sprinted forward, arms outstretched and ready to catch his friend.

Just barely making it in time, the smaller teen made impact against Kaminari's arms, the momentum from his fall causing them both to crumple to the ground in a heap. Mineta put a shaking hand over his chest as he laid on top of the blond, his whole body feeling numbed and stiff from the electrocution.

When his heart rate finally slowed, he glared as he harshly elbowed the blond in the ribs. "I cannot believe you did that. We agreed no electrocution! You could have killed me you big jerk!"

"We also agreed no tree climbing" Kaminari reminded him as he pushed the smaller form off his now aching body. For such a small fry, he really hit him hard when he landed on him like that.

"This game is stupid, I don't wanna play anymore." As Mineta got up and dusted himself off, something caught his eye. "Is that tape?" he asked as he pointed to the tree he had just fallen from, only now noticing it seemed to have an "X" taped onto it.

"I can't believe I didn't notice that before! I bet that's Sero's tape!" Kaminari walked up to the tree to inspect the white lines taped over the bark. "They must have been here at some point."

"I think you're right. Wonder why he's taping trees…." Mineta tilted his head, as if by doing so the answer would present itself to him.

"Maybe he noticed his quirk wasn't working like we did, and he did it to check and see if it went back to normal" Kaminari suggested.

That seemed logical to Mineta given he tried his own quirk out several times before his precious balls finally grew back normally and started sticking to things again.

It was getting dark, the end of day drawing near as the sun began its leisurely decent over the horizon. Mineta shuddered, silently begging the sun to stay put just that one time. He and Kaminari were decidedly vulnerable at night without their quirks, making him feel stripped bare and exposed to the dangers the world held for them. Over the past few days, he really grew to hate nighttime. Everything grew so dark, and he still wasn't used to the moon's red glow pervading the jungle. It was creepy. Not to mention it rained almost every godforsaken evening.

Mineta hadn't even realized it had gotten so late. He and Kaminari must have been playing their game for a few hours if it was already time to start searching for a safe place to hunker down until morning. They found several different spots over the past four nights, given they were at the mercy of their current surroundings and what kind of shelter luck might have chosen to bestow upon them that particular evening.

"We should start looking for a place to sleep" Kaminari was clearly thinking about the same thing he was, his eyes heavy with uncertainty at the notion of trying to survive another night without their quirks. Mineta nodded his head in agreement, the movement somewhat pained from his previous electrocution. He made a mental note to attack his blond friend in the morning for his misdoings.

"I wonder how the rest of our class is fairing in all this" Mineta said absentmindedly while continuing his search.

"Heh, I'm guessing Bakugou and Midoriya are about ready to kill each other by now. In fact, they probably already have killed each other." Kaminari grew quiet for a moment, thinking more on the subject. "I bet they're having an easier time then us too since Yaoyorozu was probably able to make them tents and supplies. They probably aren't roughing it out here the same way we are."

"I miss boobs. I don't think I've ever went this long without having a nice pair to admire secretly from afar…"

"Dude."

"What? You know you miss them too! Don't lie." Kaminari had struck a nerve and Mineta wasn't having any of it.

"Honestly, I haven't really thought about them once since we started all of this. I've been more focused on, you know… not dying!"

Mineta gasped, refusing to believe such lies. "You take that back! Boobs are always first priority! Always!"

"I dunno, I think maybe- Hey! Look at that log over there!" Kaminari was about to refute his delusional friend when he spotted the perfect place to sleep for the night.

All Mineta saw was the end of a massive hollowed out log poking out of particularly dense brush. They couldn't really see where the other end was with all the shrubbery and branches packed so closely together. "There is no way I'm crawling in there and sleeping. We have no idea what's on the other side."

"Psh, we'll be fine. C'mon scaredy cat, let's go check it out." Kaminari gleefully ran over to the fallen log, inspecting the moss and groups of mushrooms growing along the surface of its entrance. With one last look over his shoulder to make sure Mineta was right behind him, he knelt into a crouch and began to make his way through the log.

Eyeing the mushrooms with uncertainty, Mineta determined they looked safe enough to eat. With his rumbling belly egging him on, he picked a handful of them and popped them into his mouth as he followed the blond. He ate some mushrooms just the other day which looked just like the ones he was currently eating, finding no adverse effects from them. It was probably safe...

Crawling through the log was a dirty business. It smelled like damp wood and dirt and their knees and palms collected little scrapes and scuffs from the rough surface beneath them. They continued for several minutes, neither speaking and the only sound coming from their shuffling limbs. Finally, the shuffling slowed and the confined, claustrophobic space around them seemed to open up, but it was still so dark.

Confused, Mineta stood and looked around, trying to make something, anything out in the darkness. It was unusually quiet, wherever they were, and the air was stale and unmoving. It still smelled damp like everywhere else but mustier than usual. The ground itself was drier too, having a lot less give to it then it did before they entered the log. Mineta walked around slowly, trying to understand what just happened.

"Where the heck are we?" Kaminari questioned as he stumbled around in the pitch-black area. His voice seemed to echo around them as he spoke. "We can't be outside because there's no light at all. Its not sunny and the red glow isn't here either. What the hell?"

"M-maybe we… we should go back?" Mineta stuttered as he turned to find the log they had just come from. It was so dark; he couldn't find anything at all. He blindly walked around with his arms in front of him, searching for that log. His foot unexpectedly caught on something, sending him tumbling to the floor with a yelp.

Kaminari whipped his head in the direction he heard his friend fall, frustrated that he couldn't see what was happening. He could here Mineta whimpering curses on the ground. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I tripped and banged up my knee. It hurts so bad!" Mineta felt around for the object he tripped over, his searching hands coming to a halt as they wrapped around something familiar. The cold steel of the object pressed into Mineta's hand as he lifted it up, feeling around for the button. A click, and suddenly the darkness was chased away by a white glow of light.

With their newfound light encasing the small dwelling, both boys looked around in awe of where they somehow ended up. Rocky walls stretched on either side of them and loomed overhead with jagged edges. The entrance was well concealed by the massive trunk they crawled through in addition to surrounding shrubbery and vines. What was really interesting though, was the large collection of human possessions scattered around. Someone had stayed in that cave, for a while from the looks of it.

XXXX

Black ink looped and curved across the bottom left leg of the taped letter, Izuku feeling a twinge of frustration as he read the written words their friends must have left for them. "Evening, Day 4." Who knew three words could be so devastating? Here they were at the end of day five, yet despite their progress they were somehow a full day behind the larger group leading the way. This was the first time any of them bothered to mark the tape, and Izuku guessed he was glad they did since it offered them a general idea of their proximity but at the same time it didn't feel good to know they somehow lagged further behind.

Honestly, they were both trucking it, challenging each other to keep moving forward despite their fatigue, despite their nightly quirk setbacks, and despite the occasional pissing contests. They were definitely getting along better now, especially given the growing feelings and attraction they shared, but they were still Deku and Kacchan at heart. There was no shortage of arguments and trivial disagreements.

"This is bullshit. Complete and utter bullshit." Kacchan waved his arms around frantically while giving the poor tree the most withering scowl ever. It was almost as if he was trying to set that tree on fire just by looking at it. "We've been hauling our asses, barely resting, eating on the fucking go, stopping at night only once my quirk has fully powered down and somehow those assholes are a day in front of us. A whole fucking day!"

"To be fair, its not like we're using a precise method or anything. I mean, we are literally just following marked trees and judging direction based off paths that look like someone else had walked there a few hours ago. Going with your gut isn't a science and I'm sure we are moving slower because of it." Izuku was bummed too but in the end, this was just another obstacle he would need to overcome. He felt Katsuki inch a little closer to him, carefully wrapping his arm around his waist and bringing his smaller body in closer. The action itself didn't quite feel natural yet, but Katsuki loved the way it made the nerd blush as he melted into him.

"Your optimism is fucking nauseating, Deku" he said, his demeanor a bit more relaxed. Izuku smiled lightly as he nuzzled his head into the crook of Kacchan's shoulder, both staring at that daunting "X" with unease. "I'm seriously going to murder them when we find them."

"What? Why?"

"I don't need a reason. Its just what's going to happen." Kacchan tightened his hold on Izuku's hip, his face morphing into that of devious aggression before melting back to a neutral state. "So, I was thinking…" He began but stopped short, not offering anything more.

"Yeah? What's up Kacchan?" Izuku looked up to him with his big doe eyes, wondering what he meant to say. His face was covered in sweat and dirt, his green curls perpetually damp from the humidity. Still pretty fucking cute in Katsuki's opinion.

"It's nothing."

"No, tell me! I wanna know!"

"Fuck it, fine. I was just thinking when this is all over and we're back home we could train together some mornings." Katsuki shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away as he mumbled "When we're done training, we could even get some ice cream after since you're apparently obsessed with that shit." Dead silence led Katsuki to chance a look down in Deku's direction, gauging his reaction to the proposal. He found watery eyes staring back at him, likely on the cusp of spilling over and down his cheeks.

Izuku sniffled and rubbed his eyes before finally responding. "I thought you only train with Kirishima in the mornings. You really want to train with me instead?" Izuku tried to quell the hope from his voice even though the blond had directly stated it was what he wanted.

"You know my training schedule?"

Another sniffle and Izuku seemed hesitant as he answered, "I know everyone's training schedule."

"…."

"…."

Katsuki laughed while shaking his head, like he should have known. "Of course, you fucking do. You probably have it all written down in that journal of yours." When it came to heroes and hero related business, Deku was an encyclopedia with information documented meticulously, even down to the smallest minutia. "And yes, instead of Shitty Hair."

"You're sure?"

"Damn nerd, you know I don't do anything I don't want to do. Yes, I'm fucking sure." Katsuki was now wondering how long it would be before their conversations were less exhausting and Deku was more secure with the idea of them doing things together. Knowing him, it would take a while.

"I'd really like that" Izuku said softly, staring at his bright red shoes, which contrasted tremendously with their environment- and everything else, as he spoke.

"Tch. Good." Katsuki stepped away from Izuku, pointing in the direction his gut was telling him their friends had gone. He could see how the flora around them had subtly shifted from several moving bodies traveling through. There were a few broken twigs, bushes whose leaves littered along the ground around them suggesting someone had brushed past and knocked them loose, and a few hanging vines were pushed out of the way, wrapping around the trees and other shrubbery instead. "Let's keep moving. I'll be damned if those extras get any further ahead of us."

Several hours had passed before they decided it was time to slow down and search for something to eat. Deku was able to find an assortment of black beetles, which he shoved into a small, tan pouch with a disheartened sigh. Katsuki on the other hand, found a bush growing purple berries and quickly stuffed as many as he could carry into his pockets. Before he showed them to Izuku, he popped one in his mouth, bursting through it with his teeth. His mouth was instantly coated with the fruit's sweet juice and he chewed it slowly, holding it in his mouth for a few minutes to ensure he didn't have any reaction to it before swallowing.

Excited to show Deku what he'd found and expecting the other teen to be overjoyed by the prospect of something sweet to eat, Katsuki rushed back to where he'd left the nerd. He was no longer crouched by the fallen log, nor was he within direct sight. He glanced quickly around his surroundings, seeing plenty of green but none that belonged to Deku. He wanted to call out to him but didn't want to risk disturbing anything dangerous that could be lingering nearby. "Deku!" He whisper-shouted. "Where the fuck did you run off too?!"

"I'm over here Kacchan! Come look at this!" The quieted timbre of the greenette came from not too far away. Katsuki ran in the direction he believed the sound to have come from, stopping shortly after once he spotted him. Relief washed over him as he watched the smaller teen carefully study a cluster of unusual trees. The trees themselves weren't any different from the rest of the trees but what was peculiar was that these trees bore dozens of hollowed out holes. Izuku was currently trying to look into one with the flashlight Momo had made for him a while back.

"Oi! Don't waste your flashlight, stupid Deku." Katsuki crossed the distance between them, snatched the flashlight from Izuku and turned it off.

"But Kacchan! Don't you wanna know what's in there?" Izuku looked from Katsuki, to the hole and back to Katsuki before swiping at his flashlight to steal it back. Noticing what he was up to, Katsuki was quick to hold the flashlight out of his reach when he tried to grab it. "C'mon Kacchan, just let me look!" Deku was about to take this to the next level and use OFA but something else caught his attention instead.

He watched as what might have been the cutest animal in existence, scurry out of one of the tree holes. The little guy was covered in fluffy tan fur with darker patches of brown dotting his back and white fur covering his chest and round little belly. His ears were tiny chocolate colored points atop his head, and he had a few whiskers poking out from around his little nose. The furball crawled out of the tree on all fours but as soon as he touched the ground, he seemed to favor walking on only his hind legs. For such a tiny animal, he was able to walk fast and in no time, he was at Katsuki's sneakers and making his way up his pantlegs.

They watched, Katsuki dismayed and Izuku envious, as he made his way up the pantleg, reached a tiny paw into Katsuki's pocket and removed a purple berry from the blond's stash. He opened his mouth wide and shoved the berry in, munching quickly as the juice from the berry dripped down his furry little chin. Once finished with his food, he chittered quietly before sticking his paw back in for seconds.

"KACCHAN! Give me some of those berries!" Without waiting for a reply, Izuku shoved his hand into the blond's other pocket and removed a handful of the purple fruit. He then gingerly wrapped his fingers around the small animal, squealing just a little at how soft he was, and happily placed him on his shoulder. He showed off the berries he held and watched, delighted, as the little guy grabbed one from his palm and smooshed it into his little mouth. His tiny paws were now also covered in the purple nectar, and Izuku watched as he grabbed two more from his palm.

Though a little irritated that Deku had chosen to feed their fruit to a random animal, Katsuki couldn't bring himself to intervene and instead watched with the smallest glimmer of a smile as Deku continued to feed it.

Just when Izuku thought this couldn't get any better, he heard more chittering coming from the trees and soon enough a whole mob of precious fuzzy cuteness was clamoring out of the trees and gathering around their feet and climbing up their pants.

"What is this life, Kacchan?" Izuku thought he must have died and gone to heaven.

"Little fuckers ate all the berries" Katsuki mumbled as he watched tiny hands come out of his pocket empty. "See, that's what you get you little glutton."

"Kacchan! Don't talk to them that way, they can hear you." Izuku laughed as the one on his shoulder yawned lazily and then proceeded to weave his little paws through his curls like it was still searching for more food. At the same time, another one had grabbed Izuku's pouch and was dragging it towards the trees. He stopped his struggles to chew along the metal zipper and scratch at the brown fabric. "You know what's in there don't you?" Izuku grabbed his pouch back and unzipped it. "Here, let me help you out."

"Deku, don't give them all our food! The moon's completely out now and we aren't going to have a lot of time to find more before I power down."

"But look at them! They're so hungry." He watched with a glowing smile as three more climbed up his pants and limbered over his arms to get to the beetles in the pouch.

"No, Deku, they're fat and obviously are eating just fine."

"No way, I found the beetles and I want to give them to our new furry little buddies." Izuku reached up and scratched underneath the chin of the one still hanging out on his shoulder. The little guy leaned into his touch, making Izuku shriek with happiness again. "They're so soft." The greenette picked up one that was batting at his shoelaces from the ground and gently placed him in Kacchan's hands. "See? They're so cute!"

With a raised eyebrow, Katsuki looked down at the cuddly and surprisingly soft furball in his hands and found he was petting its little head without even realizing it. Damnit, they were fucking adorable.

Eventually, they both sat down so they could play with the tiny animals. When they were finished eating the duo's food supply, a few retreated to their holes but most stuck around to explore the new things that walked into their domain. They were quite curious, pawing at their backpacks, scratching at the metal of their water bottles, and pulling nonedibles from their pockets. Izuku grabbed Shogi's journal to see if he had them recorded within its pages and found that was not the case.

"Guess I'll just have to add a page for them then." He said as he pulled a pen out and furiously scribbled a picture of them onto the page, stopping occasionally to get his pen back from overly curious little paws.

"What are you going to call them?" Katsuki asked as he absolutely did NOT nuzzle the nose of one of the little floofs.

"I'll name them Kawaii."

"What, cute?" Katsuki barely suppressed a chuckle at his name choice.

"I'm tired Kacchan. It's the best I got right now."

"Alright, Kawaii it is."

Suddenly, a soft rustling sound came from off to the side, putting both boys on high alert. They looked around their surroundings, trying to figure out what it was when out of nowhere a long, pointy black line pierced through the air from behind the trees and went straight through one of the little Kawaii by Izuku's feet. It shrieked as the line retracted back behind the trees and its little sounds of fear and pain fully disappeared into the night.

Having watched the whole thing happen, Izuku was on his feet and getting ready to rush at whatever just attacked the fur babies. Before he could move another inch, the black line darted out from the trees once more, taking yet another Kawaii.

By now, the Kawaii knew they were in danger and were chittering loudly as they dashed toward the trees for protection. It was chaos as they ran on all fours all over the ground, making it difficult for Katsuki and Izuku to move without stepping on any of them. Tears filled Izuku's eyes as he glared at the area where the thing kept coming from. Without wasting another second, he jumped over the mob of panicking Kawaii and darted behind the trees. Katsuki watched him go, feeling panic set in as he knew his own quirk was probably gone at that point. He should not have permitted them to get so comfortable. That was a rookie mistake, one he would not make again. Despite his lack of fire power, he chased after Deku.

Izuku stopped in his tracks, staring open mouthed at the creature responsible for killing two of the Kawaii. It was one of the mammoth sized kyōfu, those long-legged, black insect looking things he saw that night they slept in the hammocks. He watched in horror as its long leg, which had speared the Kawaii, reached back towards its body so it could eat its screaming prey. The screams were silenced as its leg extended back in front, but instead of touching the ground it seemed to now be pointing from midair at the green haired teen.

With movement that was blindingly fast, its leg hurtled forward toward Izuku. The teen activated one for all and dodged out of the way just in time. A second leg came at him at the same time Kacchan came running up from behind him. It distracted him just enough that he moved too slow, his shoulder grazed by the impossibly long, razor sharp point of the kyōfu's leg. The wound was shallow, stinging only a little, but Izuku was so high off adrenaline he didn't even notice. He charged forward, leaping high into the air and with the help of one for all and full cowling, he snapped his leg forward and landed a mighty blow against the beast with his shoot style.

The impact caused the kyōfu to fling backwards, breaking through several trees before the congestion of the jungle finally slowed its momentum. Izuku was satisfied to see it was not getting back up any time soon.

Breathing heavily, Izuku stared unseeingly at the trail of destruction his attack had caused. His eyes were beginning to water, but it was Katsuki placing his hand on his shoulder that finally broke the damn. Tears cascaded down his cheeks and he turned and wept into the solid wall of Kacchan's chest. Not sure how to respond to the waterworks, Katsuki wrapped his arms around the sobbing teen and held him close. Eventually, Izuku's sobs broke down into dry shudders that wracked his whole body.

"Its my f-f-fault! Th-they never, never would have come out if… if it wasn't for the f-food!" Izuku was beside himself with guilt, feeling responsible for the death of the Kawaii.

"Shh, it's okay Zuku. It's not your fault, they were just doing what was natural to them." He thought for a moment before adding, "If anything, you gave them a nice last meal." That was not the right thing to say, however, and Izuku broke down into another tirade of tears and sniffles.

Realizing what he said might have done the opposite of help, Kacchan lifted Deku's chin so he could look into those watery pools of emerald. Izuku wrapped his arms around Katsuki's neck and closed the space between them, kissing the blond with all the overwhelming emotions he felt swirling around in him. His lips were wet, the kiss a little salty but it was all either of them needed.

With a gentle swipe of his tongue, Katsuki silently asked Izuku for entrance who in turn parted his lips just enough to allow the blond to deepen their kiss. Izuku tasted a little like the sweet berries he had found, leading Katsuki to realize he must have slipped one before the Kawaii gobbled down all of them. He lapped up that sweet flavor, enjoying the way it swirled with Izuku's own taste as he kissed him passionately.

His hands leisurely wandered down Izuku's sides, coming to rest under his shirt, just along his hips. He made small circles around his hip bones with his thumbs, smiling into their kiss when his stroking thumbs caused Izuku to shiver, his skin covered in little goosebumps. He wrapped one hand around Izuku's back, noticing how soft Izuku's freckled skin was beneath his touch. With the gentlest tug, he brought Izuku's body in the rest of the way, so it was flush against his own, his lips now making their way down Izuku's jawline and neck with little wet kisses and bites.

Izuku moaned lightly against the sensation, moving his head back slightly to offer Kacchan better access. When Katsuki made it to the base of his neck and bit down and sucked on that sweet spot between his neck and shoulder, Izuku's knees weakened while his body was overcome with such need he thought he might combust from the sheer force of it alone. His arousal was evident in the hard bulge forming in his pants and he shamelessly gyrated his hips against Kacchan's erection to get some heavenly friction.

Steady breaths were quickly transforming into needy pants, both teens were greedily thrusting their hips together as they moaned into the night. Katsuki quickly returned to Izuku's mouth, stroking his tongue across Izuku's in rhythm with their hips, his head clouding over with arousal. He wanted to see Izuku's face, wanted to see the way he looked when he was so filled with need for no one else but his Kacchan. He peeked an eye open, but what he saw caught him off guard. Tears still collected at the corners of Deku's closed eyes, grounding Katsuki and reminding him of what just happened. With a sigh, he pulled away, smiling when Izuku whined at the loss of contact. He quickly leaned in and kissed the tears from both Deku's eyes before kissing the cute freckles on his cheek. "As much as I want to continue this, we really should find a safe place to sleep for the night. It's late and my quirk's gone. So, to be continued for another night, got it?"

Izuku squirmed uncomfortably, his erection pressing against his pants in a way he did not care for. Regardless, he knew Kacchan was right. "Got it" he agreed as they both went in search for a place to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Next chapter is up. Thank you again to everyone who left comments, I enjoyed reading them as always. So, fair warning this chapter contains smut. If that isn't your thing you should keep moving, if not, enjoy! This was my first attempt at writing a sexual scene in a while, so I apologize if it's a little rough. I am always happy to accept constructive criticism though!

0FantasyismyReality0: I pretty much had to write down who ended up in which group, so I don't confuse myself. I'm very interested to know what your group names are? Haha

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia

XXX

There was something just not right about those wolves, their glowing eyes making an appearance every night for the past 5 nights, slowly creeping closer and closer with each rise of the moon. Shoto wasted no time the morning of the second day. As soon as his quirk returned to him, he immediately erected a wall of ice, its sole purpose to keep the prowling hunters at bay. It was exhausting to keep that wall going, with the constant heat he had to repair it daily, but he just had a feeling if he didn't keep up with it there would be hell to pay.

With significant unease, he counted the pack of feral beasts from his vantage point along the rooftop, binoculars Momo made for him in hand. On that night he was able to count twelve of them, one up from the previous night, pacing back and forth from all sides. He only just relieved Momo of her watch duties a few minutes ago, putting him in charge of their safety for the duration of the night. He shivered, despite the warmth surrounding him and took a sip from his room temperature chocolate. The sweet liquid spilled over his tongue, comforting him as it made its way down to his stomach. He repositioned the binoculars in front of his eyes, studying the wolves' movements with caution.

If he wasn't looking directly at them, he'd never have believed creatures like them could possibly exist. There was nothing "normal" about them. They lurked around on six lithe and muscular legs with each covered in thick white fur. That white fur seemed to stretch along their undersides, also covering their tails and necks. It transitioned to a deep red as the fur grew around their heads and led back down their backs while the fur covering their faces and snouts was grey. He had the displeasure of watching one yawn once and was startled to find its lower mandible split into two, each section lined with serrated teeth meant for tearing and ripping flesh from bone.

Unfortunately, their horrifying teeth weren't even the real problem for the students. The real problem was that they were smart. With each passing night, these animals got closer and closer to his barricade and were now at the point where they were touching it with their noses, as if to inspect it while some were even beginning to scratch at the dirt below. They were growing bolder and Shoto was certain by the next night, they will have breached his ice, effectively forcing them into a conflict without the help of their quirks. That was another problem they uncovered. After enough time, it didn't matter if they were inside the dorms or not, their quirks were still reduced to practically nothing.

If they were all able bodied, they might have stood a chance, but Jiro was injured. She was coherent at least, but with her destroyed leg she would need to rely heavily on their aid to survive. Having reduced quirks and a hindrance on the them like that were bound to lead toward some serious problems. It was a good thing he and Momo were excellent tacticians because they were going to need a foolproof plan and the mercy of the creator himself to survive what was coming for them.

XXX

Morning came all too quickly, the rapid temperature increase of the forest forcing Izuku to wake soaked in sweat. The mornings always made him feel a little sick at first, the humidity laying heavy in his lungs while the heat itself coiled around his limbs and felt as though it radiated from his very bones. The environment worked against him in earnest it seemed, zapping him of all his energy and will to move before he could even open his eyes.

Rhythmic breaths caused his upper body to rise and fall with each inhale and exhale from the slumbering body behind him. Izuku tilted his head back, his green curls tickling at Kacchan's chin, to get a look at the sleeping blond. The larger teen slept against the trunk of a tree with Izuku neatly nestled right against him. His toned arms circled around Izuku's waist, hands lazily resting atop the greenette's sturdy thighs. The rope Izuku brought along looped tightly around their waists to ensure neither would fall out of the tree while asleep, leading the teen to feel grateful he remembered to bring it as they tied it around them each night.

Slight shifting followed by a rumbling groan against Izuku's back told him the blond was finally awake. Kacchan was always more of a morning person but even he had difficultly waking up in the sweltering heat.

"Morning Nerd" Katsuki grumbled as he blinked rapidly in an attempt to get his eyes to work. An audible gurgling sound greeted him instead of Deku, leading him to roll his eyes with a laugh. "You hungry, huh?"

"Don't say it Kacchan." Izuku covered his ears with his hands while another loud gurgle sounded around them.

"Oh, I'm going to fucking say it." Katsuki's body shook with barely suppressed laughter as he pulled Izuku's hands from around his ears. "You did it to yourself, Deku. You should have listened to me and not given all of our food to those fuzzy assholes."

"Yes, yes, Kacchan is always right. Got it." Izuku snapped while freeing his hands to take hold of the knot resting against him. He tugged at it with his fingers until it loosened enough for him to untie it. Once untied, Izuku gathered the rope, looping it tightly until it was in a uniform shape and grabbed his backpack to stuff it back in with his other remaining survival gear. He unzipped his bag, but before he could toss it in, an unexpected patch of fur caught his eye.

"Ha! Looks like we have the world's cutest little stow away." Izuku excitedly tapped at Katsuki's knee to get his attention. "Look Kacchan! He wants to come with us!"

"Heh?" Katsuki leaned around Izuku's smaller frame to get a look at what the overly enthusiastic greenette was talking about. "Is that one of the Kawaii? What the hell is it doing in there?" The blond could already tell it was going to be an issue, the fat little fucker would be tedious to keep fed on top of their own needs.

"Maybe after the kyōfu attack last night he figured he'd be safer with us." Izuku reached into his bag to grab the Kawaii, instantly bringing the little animal up to his face so he could rub his cheek against his soft fur.

"Deku, it's a goddamn animal. Stop giving it human characteristics. The glutton probably thought you had more food in your bag and then got stuck… Because that's all it fucking cares about." At this point it was clear Izuku was ignoring his protests and they would be taking the stupidly cute little shit with them. With a heavy sigh, Katsuki jumped from their branch while aiming his palms to the ground so he could use his blasts to soften his landing.

Once on the ground, he looked up to where Deku was still perched in the tree, expecting their new companion to have scampered off in alarm from the noise but of fucking course, the Kawaii was completely unfazed. "Deku, we've got to get moving or we'll never catch up to the others. Pack your shit and let's go."

"Right!" Izuku placed the Kawaii on his shoulder, finished repacking his bag and with the help of one for all, jumped off the branch to join Kacchan on the ground. "So, I think we should give him a name since he'll be coming with us. I like Fluff Might."

"Pft, we are not condemning the poor bastard with an awful name like that. His name will be Lord Carnage."

"You can't be serious? He's too cute to call him Lord Carnage. Come on Kacchan, Fluff Might is perfect for the little guy." Izuku thought about the best way to decide what his name should be as the duo began their trek onward. "I know" he said as he turned to Katsuki. "I'll put him on the ground and we'll both call him using the name we want. He gets the name he answers to."

"That's stupid, Deku. We're not leaving it up to him to decide."

"What's wrong, Kacchan? You worried he'll come to me instead of you?" Izuku knew there was no way the blond would back down from his challenge.

"Tch, I'm not worried about a damn thing. I know he'll come to me." Katsuki stomped over a few feet from Izuku and pointed to the middle ground between them. "Put the little shit down and let's do this."

Izuku walked the Kawaii to the center and gingerly placed him on top of a few fallen leaves before backing up to where he had stood previously. He crouched down so he was more on level with the furball and called to him using a high-pitched tone. "Fluff Might! Come here, Fluff Might!"

Irritated with how Deku started calling him before they agreed to start, Katsuki also knelt and called to the Kawaii in a loud, angry voice. "Get your fat ass over here, Lord Carnage! Come on, Lord Carnage! Get over here or I'll put you on a fucking diet!"

"Kacchan! Don't yell at Fluff Might!" Izuku reached his hand out to beckon the animal over to him. "Come here Fluff Might! You can do it, come on!"

"Threats get things done, damn nerd." Katsuki leveled the Kawaii with a searing glare. "Come on, Lord Carnage, I don't have all fucking day."

"Fluff Might!"

"Lord Carnage!"

Finally, after both boys called to the Kawaii, the furry creature made his choice and slowly inched toward Katsuki.

"What? No! Fluff Might, come back this way!"

The Kawaii ignored Izuku as he continued to make his way over to the blond instead, until he was chittering happily in Katsuki's lap.

"Haha! Lord Carnage it is!" Katsuki stroked his back, a smug smile plastered over his face. "Maybe this little shit won't be so bad after all."

Annoyed, Izuku stood and crossed his arms with a huff. Katsuki had to laugh at how cute Deku looked with his pouting freckled face. He looked so kissable with his lips pushed out like that but Katsuki knew the nerd would probably deck him if he tried. As much as he'd enjoy a tussle, they already wasted enough time on this and really needed to keep going. "C'mon Deku. You lost so quit sulking and let's go." Katsuki turned and continued on the path he believed their classmates had taken; Lord Carnage happily perched on his shoulder as he led the way. He started off slow, like a mother trying to encourage her errant child to follow her after a tantrum, and eventually picked up his pace as soon as he heard Izuku's telltale mutterings coming from just behind him.

They traveled for several hours before Katsuki's ears perked to what sounded like running water, and a lot of it at that. As they grew closer to the source, he could not only hear it but was able to smell it, the smell of fresh flowing water intermingling with the leafy scent of the jungle. Lord Carnage must have noticed too because he was now chittering wildly while impatiently pacing back and forth between his shoulders on all fours.

"You hear that, Kacchan? We haven't seen any running water for days now! I think the last time was when Jiro- Actually, you know, I wonder how she's doing? I wish there was a way for us to contact them and check in on her. Shoto and Yaoyorozu are capable though. Tsu too. I'm sure they're fine. Anyway, maybe if we are careful about the smell of those crocodile things we could go for a swim? I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure I stink." He paused, a small frown forming on his face as he considered his recent proximity to the blond. "Kacchan? Do you think I stink? Is it bad? I mean, I didn't notice any strong odor from you but maybe that's because we both stink…"

"You smell like a Deku" Kacchan responded, secretly smiling because he kind of liked the smell of a Deku apparently.

"I don't know how to take that, Kacchan… Oh! You know what? I just realized something that might be amazing. If there's water, there might be fish! We might get to eat fish for dinner!" Izuku continued to ramble about fish, Katsuki only half listening before he decided to interrupt him.

"We don't have time to take a damn bath or catch fish. We should keep going." The distraught look Izuku gave him in response made him almost feel bad for being the responsible one. Almost. Especially because that look almost immediately morphed into rebellion, Izuku's eyes hardening in challenge.

"No, Kacchan. I've been going along with what you want at almost every turn, but I won't let you ruin this for me. I want to bathe, and I want to eat some fish. You are going to bathe too, and you are going to cook the fish and… and… you're going to like it!" Izuku stomped his foot on the ground in a show of his defiance. He could be such a little brat sometimes.

"The fuck you just say to me? I don't have to like anything and your damn right I will cook the fish because if I let you do it, you'll char it beyond recognition."

"I can too cook, I just- wait, did you just agree to something I want?" Izuku gave him a sideways look, not really sure how to take that unexpected development.

"No, I decided we would be more fit to continue forward if we were clean and better fed. Got a fucking problem with that?"

"Nope!" Izuku looked giddy as he ran up to Katsuki, kissed him on the cheek and skipped ahead toward the sound of the water.

"Tch, damn nerd" Katsuki grumbled as he pet the soft fur of Lord Carnage who seemed to be inspecting the inside of his ear with interest. "Knock it the fuck off" he scolded while trying to suppress a smile at the furry fuck's antics.

They didn't have to walk much further before that sound of rushing water transformed into the thunderous roar of an enormous waterfall. Thousands of gallons splashed down the side of a cliff, the foaming water accumulating in a deep, circular pool at the bottom. The pool of water then had two outlets, one carving a path to the east and another to the south. The pool itself seemed to cast off a greenish hue with white rapids and as Izuku inched closer to the end of the moss-covered bank he even saw a single grey fish darting through the water.

Algae grew in thick clumps along the rocks of the cliff where the water continually rushed down, whereas the rest of the cliff and pool of water were framed by the lush greenery of the jungle. The tree line above them had split open to reveal a beautiful blue sky and the bright orange rays of the sun. This was the first time either of them felt direct sunlight against their skin in almost a week, with both eagerly welcoming the warm rays.

Lord Carnage scampered down Katsuki's form, making his way to the water line where he began his diligent search for bugs. He turned over rocks, sifted through pebbles, and investigated the patches of grass growing around the edge of the bank.

Izuku watched him for a moment before taking off his backpack and pulling his damp shirt over his head, tossing it haphazardly behind him. His pale skin was practically fluorescent beneath the beating rays of the sun, his freckles lighting up as if they were dozens of little stars littered all over his well-built body. He knelt to untie his shoes and when they were both off, he looked up to Katsuki, mischief gleaming in those emerald eyes.

"Last person to catch a fish has to clean any fish we catch today" He yelled behind him, already running toward the water.

"Shitty Deku! You can't just call that when I haven't even taken my shirt off!" Katsuki threw both shoes and his shirt in different directions before barreling in after Izuku. The water splashed around him as he ran through it, when he suddenly dropped down into deeper water. He wasn't expecting it to drop off like that and he gasped in surprise before his head was fully submerged beneath the surface.

He'd be lying if he said the warm water didn't feel damn good against his skin. He could practically feel the dirt and sweat as it lifted from his pores and was carried away by the cleansing tide. He opened his eyes so he could look around, the water surprisingly clear as he inspected his surroundings. The muffled water sounds were a nice change compared to the loud and animated noises of the jungle he was constantly subjected to and at that moment he wanted nothing more than to relax within the calming embrace of tranquility.

A flash of green, Deku's one for all most likely, pulled him from his moment of peace, reminding him he had some serious ass to kick. If Deku was using one for all he would catch a fish in no time. Katsuki would need to use his own quirk too but the question remained, what would be the best method to efficiently outdo the brat? He smiled wickedly as he came to a decision.

Swimming quickly, he rose to the surface of the water and made his way back to dry land. He then aimed his palm at the side of the water he didn't think Deku was swimming in, which he assumed given he could still see flashes of green well on the opposite end, and formed his other hand into a circle and placed it in front of his open palm. He focused his explosion and released, shouting "AP Shot Auto Cannon!"

Immediately, the pool of water was bombarded with mini projectile explosions, splashing loudly as each one made impact. At this point two things happened. Deku comically flung himself out of the water, the fear of God flashing in his panicked eyes meanwhile the bodies of several shell-shocked fish floated to the surface.

With his head whipping every which way, eyes darting around like he was high on meth, Izuku searched for the danger. With each second that passed and every ragged breath that escaped his lips, he slowly realized there was nothing there. That's when a smirking Kacchan wading through the water while collecting fish caught his attention.

" . .YOU." He screamed as he watched Kacchan in dismay.

"I'm getting a hell of a lot of fish for you to clean for dinner. What's it look like, stupid Deku?" Kacchan chuckled as he made his way back to land, arms full of colorful, slippery fish.

Izuku wasn't having it though. "You cheated, Kacchan. That's not fair."

"Pretty sure you never specified how the fish were to be caught. And I saw you using OFA so I'm also pretty fucking sure I didn't do anything differently from you." Katsuki raised an eyebrow at Izuku before dropping his catch at Izuku's feet. "I have a knife in my bag that you can use to descale them. Get started while I get a fire going."

At first, Izuku only glared rebelliously at him, feeling hoodwinked by the way Katsuki won their competition. Katsuki glared right back at him, meeting his challenge head on and waited to see what his next move would be. Eventually, Izuku's expression softened some and he looked to the ground as he mumbled, "I um, don't know how."

"I'm completely unsurprised by that news. I'll show you, come here." Katsuki grabbed his knife from his bag and picked up one of the fish. "So, first you want to remove the scales by sliding the dull side of the knife over the scales, like this. Next, you flip your fish over and insert the tip of your knife into its bottom and swipe the blade through the belly in a straight, shallow line until you've reached just under its head." Katsuki performed the task, the knife making a slick squishy sound as it cut through the fish. Izuku visibly paled as he watched the blond work. "Next, you wanna get your fingers in there and work out all of the innards, opening the fish as you go to make sure you get all of that darker stuff that's stuck along the walls out too." As Katsuki finished this part of the process he heard a weird sound coming from above him and paused just in time to watch the damn nerd dry heave like the nerd he was.

Pale as a ghost and wide eyed, Izuku covered his mouth as he tried to hold in the heaving, his body lurching despite his efforts. When his body calmed down, he rubbed the tears that formed in his eyes and nodded his head at Katsuki. "Okay, continue." He grimaced as he fought against the nauseous, determined to see this through.

"Right, I don't really want you puking all over our dinner so why don't you be useful and set up the fire and I'll clean the fish. I'll be over to light it when I'm done."

Though he felt disappointed in his inability to clean the fish, more then anything, Izuku was just relieved to have a different task that didn't involve pulling entrails out of his future dinner. It didn't take long for him to have a fire ready and Kacchan was unbelievable quick, having all the fish prepared and skewered with long sticks by the time Izuku was finished.

They sat side by side as they ate their dinner. Izuku praising Kacchan for his perfectly roasted fish, Katsuki enjoying Izuku's praise of "Kacchan is so amazing" for the first time since they were toddlers. Lord Carnage made his home on top of Izuku's green mop, accepting bites of fish as the greenette offered them to him.

"Whew, I'm stuffed!" Izuku proclaimed as he happily rubbed his full belly. "That really was amazing Kacchan. Guess I should thank the chef?" Izuku giggled as he leaned over and gave Kacchan a chaste kiss, lingering for just a second before moving back.

"Damn straight. Welcome, nerd." Katsuki lounged back, supporting his weight on his palms as he watched the continuous flow of water cascade down the cliffside. Everything about their location was truly beautiful, like a work of art that was too perfect to be real. Still, they've been there for long enough, at least a couple hours at this point, and it was time for them to get going. "Deku, we've been here too long. We should get a move on."

"What? Oh Kacchan, can we take one last dip in the water? It was so refreshing and who knows when we'll be able to do it again. Please?" Izuku gave him his best puppy dog eyes, a look that used to have little effect on Katsuki but now for some damned reason he couldn't seem to say "no." Truthfully, he wouldn't mind taking one last dip himself so really it was like he was agreeing to it because he wanted to. It wasn't like he was getting soft or anything.

"Fine, but not for too long. The idea of those extras getting even further ahead pisses me off."

Izuku bounced up and pumped his fist into the air, cheering as he took his shirt and shoes off once more to run into the water with Katsuki right on his tail. The blond watched with amusement as Izuku swam to and fro before rolling over to float on his back. He looked so relaxed, so happy, that Kacchan felt now was the right time to mess with him. He swam up close to the other teen and set off an explosion in his direction, the force of it spraying water all over Izuku.

Alarmed, he flailed his arms and legs with a yelp before sinking into the water. An angry blob of green popped back out a second later, leveling the blond with a determined stare. Before Katsuki could react, green currents encased Izuku and he rose his hand just above the water and flicked his fingers toward him. Katsuki was immediately smacked in the face by a strong gust of wind followed by a wave of water. He coughed and spluttered as he wiped the water from his face, pretty sure Izuku might have won that round but unwilling to admit it.

"You're dead meat, Deku!" He yelled while swimming toward Izuku, like a shark about to catch its prey.

Izuku saw him coming, having just enough time to wonder if maybe he had gotten too carried away when the blond dunked him under the water, grinning manically while Izuku tried to resurface. Eventually, he was able to free himself and get his head above the water line. He sneezed several times, his nose burning from the feeling of accidently breathing in water. He splashed a normal amount of water toward the blond with his hand, deciding he had in fact gotten too carried away the first time.

"You never learn" Katsuki said ominously as he swam closer to Izuku.

Izuku smiled brightly at him, accepting Katsuki's challenge as he splashed him in the face again. "I guess not, Kacchan." He shrugged and went for a third splash but stopped when Katsuki grabbed his wrist.

On his way over, Katsuki fully intended to dunk the nerd again but now that he was right there, staring into those captivating, emerald eyes he quickly thought of a better plan. He tugged at Izuku's wrist, bringing the smaller teen in closer until their noses were touching. He felt Izuku's warm breath fan out over his face and he could feel his accelerated heart beats thrumming wildly against his chest. He cupped Izuku's cheeks with his calloused hands and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss.

Instantly, he swept his tongue over Izuku's, humming deeply in his chest in appreciation of his decadent taste. As they continued to make out, they both quickly realized they were finding it difficult to breath between locking lips and continuously treading water so Katsuki broke away just long enough to lead Izuku to the shallow area where the water was only a foot or so deep.

Katsuki took a seat and pulled Izuku onto his lap, the teen straddling his hips, his freckled cheeks dusted in the lightest shade of pink. Katsuki ran his fingers through green locks, tugging Izuku's head toward him so they could resume their kiss while his hands trailed down Izuku's bare back, his skin slippery and soft beneath his wandering touch. He slowly continued his decent, only stopping once he was cupping Izuku's firm ass tightly. Sometimes Katsuki forgot how stacked Izuku really was. He'd never guess it from the nerd's coy demeanor and the baggy clothes he insisted on wearing, but between his thick thighs, the rippling muscles stretching down his back and chest, and that perfectly tight ass, Izuku's body was really something worth marveling at.

Izuku in turn ran his fingers down Katsuki's well-built chest and abs, tracing the contours and smooth bumps as he went. A part of Izuku couldn't believe Kacchan was letting him touch him like that but another part was so lost in sensually exploring his partner's body that he wasn't about to question it. Then of course there was the even smaller part of him, pushed to the back of his mind, that was freaking out from embarrassment.

With his hands still firmly gripping at Izuku's ass, Katsuki subtly pulled Izuku against himself, rocking his hips forward, chasing after any kind of friction he could get. Izuku seemed to have appreciated the movement because he whimpered lowly in his mouth, taking over and rocking his own hips and rubbing their hard erections together through their soaking wet clothes.

Breaking away from their kiss, Katsuki instead pressed his lips against Izuku's neck, sucking and biting until a swath of purple bruises formed along his damp skin. Each suck and bite were like electric, shooting tingling waves of pleasure that went straight to Izuku's dick. Izuku tossed his head back and moaned loudly, now grinding his hips down with desperation unlike anything he'd experienced before in his life.

"Mmm, Kacchan's so amazing. Kacchan's incredible, so strong." Izuku mumbled praises, his fingers burying themselves in Katsuki's blond spikes.

Loving every sound Deku was making, Katsuki decided he needed to know what other sounds he could elicit from the teen. He pressed his tongue against Izuku's collar bone, slowly gliding it up to just behind his ear and moving his mouth to nibble on his earlobe. Izuku bucked his hips with a groan, goosebumps forming along his arms and the hair on the back of his neck standing up. It was then that Izuku whispered something so quiet, Katsuki almost missed it.

"I-I need more Kacchan."

Katsuki slowed his assault on Izuku's neck, wanting to make sure he heard him right. "You want more, Deku? Tell me how badly you want more, and I'll give it to you right now."

Izuku pulled away to look him right in the eyes and Katsuki didn't miss the look of desire that lingered beneath that innocent stare. "Please Kacchan." Izuku roughly gyrated his hips against Katsuki, his voice heavy with need. "I'm so hard it hurts. I just… I need more Kacchan!" That blush was coming back full force now, Izuku not used to asking for something so perverse.

More than anything, Katsuki wanted to give in to his staggering desire to take Izuku, to claim his body as his own, but he had to be sure this was what they both wanted. "Izuku" he said in a rare instance of using Izuku's given first name. It had the desired effect, the surprised greenette looking at him curiously now. "If we start this, I… I don't think I could stop. Are you really okay with this?" This line of questioning made Katsuki feel exposed and vulnerable in a way he didn't like. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Izuku denied him.

Biting his lip, Izuku seemed to think about it for a second too long, filling Katsuki with a sense of dread before he finally said "I'm more than okay with this. I want it, Katsuki."

Hearing his own given name escape from the nerd's lips made Katsuki's cock throb within the confines of his pants. He didn't need any more consent than that and crashed their lips back together, their teeth knocking at first as he urgently reached for the button on Izuku's pants. He fumbled with the little metal button before finally freeing it. Izuku raised his hips while Katsuki shimmied the material down his thighs, stopping because he couldn't get them down any further with Izuku's legs spread apart like they were.

Catching on, Izuku stood so he could remove them the rest of the way, not expecting Katsuki to reach up and tuck his fingers under the waistband of his underwear and pull them down with a swift tug. Izuku's whole body heated up the moment he realized he was fully exposed, and he instinctually went to cover himself.

"Don't you fucking dare" Katsuki growled as he removed Izuku's hands.

At first Izuku fought him, trying to cover himself again but the moment he noticed the fiery hunger burning in Katsuki's eyes he stopped. In fact, it felt like time itself had stopped. Never, had anyone looked at Izuku like that before. Katsuki looked at him like he was a full course meal, like he was starving and was about to eat for the first time in days. That look alone made Izuku's mouth water and his cock twitch with anticipation.

Never breaking eye contact, Katsuki wrapped his hand around Izuku's cock, licking his lips as he thought about what he was about to do. Obviously, he had never done anything like this before. In fact, before now he never even really considered entertaining any kind of romantic relationship. He was out to become the number one hero and with a rival like Deku, well, he didn't have time to spare. He especially wouldn't have guessed it would be the nerd who finally caught his attention but now here they were, his attention not only caught but wholly focused on making the nerd scream for him.

Slowly, Katsuki started to pump his hand up and down the length of Izuku's hard member, their soaked state making it easy for his hand to glide over the silky skin and pulsing veins. He stuck his tongue out and licked from the base of his cock all the way to the tip. Izuku's body spasmed from the stimulation, his eyes hazy with want.

"K-Kacchan!" he started, then stopped feeling too embarrassed to continue.

A cocky smile crept over Katsuki's face, knowing exactly what the nerd was asking for. He licked again, loving the way every stroke of his tongue caused Izuku's body to shake. "What do you want me to do next, Zuku?"

"I… I don't know" Izuku stuttered, his increased panting making it difficult to form words.

"I think you do know. I'm not going any further until I hear you say it." Smirking, Katsuki flicked the head of Izuku's dick with his tongue, lapping up the precum he found there and enjoying his slow torturing of the nerd.

His bottom lip was firmly pressed between his teeth as Izuku desperately tried to hold himself together. He couldn't believe he was actually about to say it, but he wanted it enough that he was willing to go through with it no matter how embarrassing. "I want you to s-suck my cock."

"Such a dirty mouth, Deku. What do you think the extras would say if they knew you talked like that?" Before Izuku could respond, Katsuki opened his mouth wide and slid as much of Izuku in as he could manage.

Shuddering, Izuku watched as his cock disappeared inch by inch between those lips. The wet and warm feeling of Katsuki's mouth sent ripples of pleasure coursing through his body, amazed at how much better it like this then when he would take care of himself.

Though his eyes were watering from the foreign feeling of something filling his mouth, Katsuki relaxed his jaw and pushed further until he felt Izuku's head brush against the back of his throat. He was rewarded with a flurry of whimpers and groans as Izuku fisted his hands in his blond hair. With his eyes still focused on Izuku's darkened green irises, Katsuki slid his mouth back toward the head, brushing his tongue along the underside of Izuku's cock as he went.

Transfixed, Izuku watched as his glistening cock was revealed, soaked in saliva and possibly one of the hottest things he'd ever seen. Without lingering too long, Katsuki swallowed him up again, setting an unhurried pace, making sure to pump his hand at the base where he couldn't comfortably reach with his lips.

It didn't take long for Izuku to feel a familiar warmth pool in the pit of his stomach, slowly stretching out to encompass his entire body. His knees felt weak and his toes curled while he gently urged his hips forward in time with Katsuki's mouth.

"Oh god, Kacchan. I- I think I'm gonna, gonna cum!"

Katsuki smirked proudly around Izuku's cock, quickening his pace until he felt Izuku's warm cum shoot out and coat the inside of his mouth. He swallowed every last drop before sliding his mouth off with a pop. "You taste so good" He said as he wiped the excess drool from his lips with the back of his hand, watching with satisfaction as Izuku's cock continued to spasm as the greenette came down from his orgasm.

"That was… that was amazing" Izuku panted, his body still buzzing pleasantly. He watched as Katsuki stood and removed his own pants throwing them behind him to join Izuku's clothing on the bank. He then slid his boxers down, his hard erection springing out and bouncing in all of its glory. He was huge and Izuku swallowed thickly as he imagined being split open by its considerable girth. Excitement and apprehension swirled together in a heady combination as he watched Katsuki sit back down, the water splashing around him.

"Come here, Zuku." Katsuki said as he reached his hand out toward the greenette, his normally prideful eyes showing a glimmer of vulnerability.

Nervous as he was, Izuku accepted his hand and straddled his legs around Katsuki's hips, their cocks pressed against each other between their bodies. Izuku wrapped his hand around both lengths, pumping it up and down, his movements stuttered from how sensitive his own cock still was from his orgasm. He felt as Katsuki reached his hand around his waist, dipped down into the warm water and slid down his backside, continuing until he was tracing small circles around the ring of muscle forming Izuku's entrance. His breath hitched in his throat as Katsuki finally pushed that finger inside him, the sensation pinching and not exactly pleasant.

When Izuku's body stiffened Katsuki noticed immediately and stopped pushing in so Izuku could adjust to the intrusion. "I'm going to go slow, I don't wanna hurt you" he said, trying to comfort Izuku. Once he felt Izuku relax against him he pushed in the rest of the way, sliding his finger in and out and eventually pushing in a second finger. He continued to prep Izuku, stretching him until his walls gave less resistance and Izuku even started grinding his ass down on him, clearly beginning to enjoy the sensation.

"Are you ready to take my cock, Deku?" Katsuki asked as he pulled his fingers out and started to tease Izuku's puckered hole with the head of his throbbing member.

Nodding his head with enthusiasm, though inside he was nervous as hell, Izuku tried to relax his body as he wrapped his arms around Katsuki's neck and pressed their foreheads together. The blond slowly rocked his hips upward, pressing into Izuku carefully until his cock was fully sheathed inside that un-fucking-believably tight warmth.

Izuku cried out when Katsuki entered him, the stinging pain hurt more than he was expecting. He squeezed his eyes shut while squeezing his thighs together with enough force that Katsuki would likely have bruises around his hips the next day. The blond peppered him with kisses while rubbing his back in soothing circles, trying to help him calm down some.

"Try to relax and breath, Izuku" Katsuki whispered as he did his best not to rock his hips, waiting for Izuku to give him the okay first. He noticed the tears that pricked at the corners of Izuku's eyes and he kissed them away while he continued to rub the tense muscles of Izuku's back. Eventually he felt the greenette physically relax into him.

"Okay Kacchan, I'm ready." Izuku started to slowly grind his pelvis down, feeling little flutters of warmth steak through his body as he did. Katsuki started to move too, thrusting up and into Izuku at a slow pace.

"Holy fucking shit, Deku. You feel so good." It was so tight Katsuki could barely move without releasing a powerful wave of pleasure, making him realize that he probably wasn't going to last long. He continued his leisurely pace, both teens shuddering with every movement.

"Kacchan really, I'm okay now. You can… you can go faster." Izuku was impatiently wriggling his ass down on Katsuki's cock, trying to force him in as deep as he could go.

"I'll make you regret those words, nerd" Katsuki challenged, meeting Izuku's downward movements with powerful, deep thrusts until he hit a spot buried inside Izuku that made him scream.

"Ah! God Kacchan, so good. You're so good. Please don't stop!" Izuku was moving completely in sync with Katsuki, their slick bodies rising and falling in rhythm together. The water splashed loudly around them, the sound of their sex releasing wet squelching sounds into the air. Katsuki continued to thrust deeply into Izuku, making sure to hit that spot again and again.

The silken walls wrapped around Katsuki's cock were beginning to coil even tighter with Izuku's impending orgasm. He watched as Izuku's brows furrowed, his puffy lips forming an "O" and his eyes roll back when his orgasm hit him. It was unlike anything Izuku had ever experienced and he arched his back and dug his fingers into Katsuki's shoulders as the pool of warmth deep inside of him exploded, sending wave after wave of heat to crash through his shaking body.

Between Izuku's tight warmth squeezing the life out of his cock and the delicious expressions painted on Izuku's face as he came for him, Katsuki shuddered as he felt is own impending release. "Ah fuck, I'm going to cum!"

"Yes! I want Kacchan's cum inside me. Please Kacchan, I need you to fill me up with your cum!"

Izuku just begged him for his cum and Katsuki would be damned if he didn't give it to him. He saw stars as his orgasm hit him hard. He buried his head in the crook of Izuku's shoulder, continuously thrusting into him until his seed sprayed out and coated Izuku's walls.

It took him a second to catch his breath, but when Katsuki did he lifted his head so he could inspect Izuku, make sure he was okay. He wasn't expecting to see the nerd looking back at him, his expression fully sated but also so full of admiration that it made his heart flutter just a little. "You good, Deku?"

"I'm more then good, Kacchan."


End file.
